An ultralight Cheetah S200 crashed into a Ferris wheel at a festival on the eastern coast of Australia this weekend, leaving the mangled airplane, its two occupants and two children riding the Ferris wheel trapped as emergency crew worked to bring everyone down to the ground safely.
The Ferris wheel held as the Cheetah crashed into it, leaving the damaged aircraft stuck in the Ferris wheel’s frame more than 30 feet off the ground. While the airplane and the Ferris wheel were in disarray as a result of the crash, luckily, no one suffered any serious injuries.
According to the Associated Press, two children riding in a carriage close to the top of the Ferris wheel were stuck for 90 minutes before they were brought down safely with the use of a crane. The two occupants in the Cheetah S200, the 52-year-old pilot and his 32-year-old passenger, were trapped in the wreckage of the airplane for close to three hours before they were rescued.
The Cheetah reportedly crashed into the Ferris wheel during a go-around shortly after a missed approach at a nearby grass strip. The pilot said he did not see the wheel before hitting it.
Festival organizers have denied suggestions that the Ferris wheel was placed within the flight path of the strip. Australian authorities are investigating the incident.
View a video of the incident’s immediate aftermath below.
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