Face of Nation : Jamie McAlindon, 54, and his wife Elke McAlindon, 53, survived the crash at William Creek Airport in outback South Australia, but were airlifted to hospital with head, chest and leg injuries.
Their single-engine plane flipped upon landing and skidded on its roof down the runway at the remote airstrip, 160 kilometres east of Coober Pedy, about 3:00pm on Sunday. The couple were on a tour and had intended to see Coober Pedy, Lake Eyre and Uluru — which will officially be closed to climbers in October.
Ms McAlindon is in a stable condition at Adelaide’s Flinders Medical Centre and is supporting her husband whose condition is serious, but not life-threatening. Their friend Lance Bagster said Mr McAlindon was a former military pilot with many years of aviation experience. “He’s a very gifted pilot so I can only imagine it was a freak accident of some sort,” Mr Bagster said.
“He was very cautious and because he had Elke on board as well, I’m sure he would’ve been extra vigilant.” The couple were travelling to the region with a group of friends from the Sport Aircraft Builders Club of WA. “Even after the accident, and though upside down, trapped and injured Jamie had the instinct to secure the engine [shut it down] and turn off the fuel taps.
