WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A vintage DC-3 tourist plane skidded off a snow-covered runway Wednesday when its undercarriage collapsed, police said. The three crew onboard were unhurt.
The World War II plane, operated by a Christchurch-based tour company, plowed into snow about 3 feet deep as it tried to take off in otherwise fine and sunny conditions from a runway on Glentanner farm, central South Island.
Civil Aviation Authority spokesman Bill Sommer said the aircraft had been forced to land at the farm on Sunday after bad weather prevented it from landing at nearby Mount Cook airport.
The plane had been carrying a group of American tourists to the popular Mount Cook region for sightseeing on Sunday.
Sommer said the aircraft had remained stranded at the farm after heavy snowfalls. The tourists left Monday by helicopter.
Sommer said authorities will investigate why the pilot tried to take off when the runway was covered in several inches of snow.
