By TIM BISHOP
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A Beechwood man who was test-flying a new plane he had made was pulled from the wreck of his aircraft after crashing into a tree yesterday afternoon.
Residents of Koori Island Road in Beechwood ran to the assistance of pilot Nestor Slepcev after his light plane stalled and plummeted from the sky shortly after midday.
Witnesses say the light plane, which was specifically designed to perform acrobatic manoeuvres, was initially falling side-on toward a more heavily populated area.
It landed right-side-up, however, after clipping trees which forced it back into its landing position and narrowly away from homes.
Resident Tim Coombes was one of the first on the scene and helped Mr Slepcev out of the wrecked plane.
"He'd opened the hatch and he said 'you'll have to pull me out'," Mr Coombes said.
"So a few of us just helped him out and pulled him away. We couldn't believe how lucky he was."
Mr Slepcev sustained a broken leg and bruising and was airlifted to Port Macquarie Base Hospital.
Beechwood Rural Fire Brigade crews covered the wreck with foam as a precaution although a preliminary investigation found the plane was not leaking fuel.
Friend and neighbour Peter Laurantus said Mr Slepcev had spent considerable time and money designing and making the aircraft.
"I was watching him flying around before it happened," Mr Lavrantus said.
"It looked like he tried to recover but he just didn't have enough height . . . There was a loud crash when it hit the tree."
Nestor Slepcev has a well-established reputation for building small planes. The incident was reported to the Australian Transport Safety Board and may be investigated by the Australian Ultralight Association.