Plane crash survivor tracked by dingoes for 20km

Peter Lacy’s tale is nothing short of miraculous.

Rescued after almost 12 hours in the wilderness in the remote Mid West, after surviving a plane crash, walking 20km through the night being tracked by dingoes, his only saving grace was one bar of phone reception.

The Cue resident had to call on his 27 years of flying experience and all his resourcefulness to survive after his small plane went down in rough terrain 90km south-east of the town.

The 48-year-old owns a contracting company and was returning to Cue on Saturday from the Gidgee Gold Mine north of Sandstone after doing road work. He made an emergency landing when the engine of his Cessna 120 failed.

A 50 to 70 metre clearing near a fence line was the landing target, but the right wing of the plane clipped a tree on the way down and it skidded along the clearing before coming to a stop.

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He said aviation fuel was pouring out of the right wing on top of him.

“I vacated the plane quickly because I thought it was going to catch on fire,” he said.

The impact of the crash damaged the plane’s EPIRB and it wouldn’t activate, so Mr Lacy set out on foot.

He walked 20 kilometres in a westerly direction through the night towards some hills to get phone reception.

When he got phone reception, he called his father who told local police. After a five-hour search, the team tracked him down when they got through to his phone again and got a GPS position.

Cue and Meekatharra police, local volunteers and an Aviation Search and Rescue plane were deployed to assist in the search efforts shortly after 10pm.

Cue acting sergeant Alan Capstick, who is also a good mate of Mr Lacy’s, said the search team drove out to Reedy, an abandoned town about 70kms east of Cue.

“We thought that was where he may be, in that vicinity,” he said.

The search team scoured the surrounding area for the next five hours, but then managed to get through to Mr Lacy via phone.

He was told to check his phone for a GPS location which he then conveyed to police.

Acting sergeant Capstick said Mr Lacy was 50km east of where they were searching.

Police located him at about 7:30am Sunday morning, and picked him up on a quad bike just after 8am.

Acting sergeant Capstick said Mr Lacy was in shock, battered and bruised but didn’t have any other injuries.

“He is very resourceful, that is why he survived the crash,” he said.

He said it was “pure luck” and the “angels of heaven looking down at us” that Mr Lacy was able to get phone reception.

“He walked 20 kilometres from the crash site in a westerly direction using the stars,” Acting Sgt Capstick said.

“He’s got a built in compass that man.

“If he was injured and trapped in the plane there’s no way we’d have known he was there. He’s one lucky boy.”

Acting Sgt Capstick said it would have been quite daunting being tracked through the night by dingoes.

“He could hear them in the bush howling,” he said.

“Imagine surviving a plane crash and then being taken by a dingo.”

Mr Lacy, the father or two boys aged 13 and 9, admits he was concerned when the plane was going down.

“I thought of my family and I did the best I could.”

Despite the ordeal Mr Lacy has no plans to give up flying.

“I’ll definitely get back in a plane,” he said.