Man dies in crash involving homemade ultralight

A male pilot and sole occupant of a light plane has died after it crashed into a backyard in a NSW Hunter town.

A solo pilot has died after crashing his home-built amphibious light plane into a backyard in the NSW Hunter region yesterday. NSW police confirmed the plane crashed short of a runway about 10.15am on Sunday morning and into the yard of a property on Denton Close in Windella, about 45 kms west from Newcastle and 180 kms from Sydney. The pilot is yet to be formally identified but is believed to be a 44-year-old man. He was removed from the wreckage by witnesses but attempts to resuscitate him failed and he died at the scene. A Fire and Rescue NSW spokesman said firefighters were on the scene to clear fuel spills and hazardous material from the crash site. One firefighter had been injured during this process and transported to hospital, with his condition unclear. A Civil Aviation Safety Authority spokesman said the plane was an amateur-built Osprey 2 amphibious aircraft, possibly built by the pilot himself from a kit. It is believed the plane suffered engine issues 15 minutes after take-off  from Maitland Airport, NSW (MTL/YMND) and the pilot had tried to return to the airbase but crashed en route. Chief Inspector Rob Post from Maitland Police said the pilot was "very experienced". Witnesses rushed to the crash scene, removing the pilot immediately and started performing CPR until paramedics arrived, but the man could not be revived. NSW Ambulance Duty Operations Manager Shane Harris said the plane came close to crashing into nearby homes.

Aircraft Information:
Model: Pereira GP-3 Osprey 2
Registration: VH-WID
Serial Number: WJC003

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