(CNN) — A pilot and a female passenger escaped unhurt from a small plane that flew dangerously close to homes in a Sydney suburb and made a dramatic force-landing in Australia.
A Cessna plane lost power during a flight on Sunday and the pilot made an emergency call to report engine trouble and returned home, CNN affiliate Nine News reported.
Nine News footage showed the plane coming dangerously close to trees and buildings as the stricken plane headed towards Bankstown Airport, southwest of Sydney.
“I was gliding, no power,” pilot Jack Swanepoel told Nine News. “We managed to graze the trees and get past the hangar.”
Swanepoel was able to land the plane on an airport taxiway, where it came to rest on its bottom.
Swanepoel told Nine News he retracted the landing gear because the plane was so low, he thought it might hit the roofs of houses as it made its brutal approach manoeuvre.
Ground staff rushed to their aid, but Swanepoel and his partner Karin made it out of the plane unharmed. “We didn't think we'd get to this landing area,” Karin told Nine News.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau told CNN it was gathering more information about the landing before deciding whether to launch an investigation.
According to Nine News, that includes hearing a statement from a pilot who has been flying for 29 years.
“It was scary, you were nervous because you thought about those houses … if you weren't on the trail,” Karin said.
When asked how they'll celebrate hitting the runway, Swanepoel quipped, “Nothing, just being alive.”
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