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A SEARCH was underway late into last night after reports a small plane had crashed in mangroves in Darwin.
But despite using night-vision goggles the helicopter crew had been unable to find any sign of a plane or its occupants.
Kulaluk community resident Helen Secretary, one of those who reported the plane, said she had seen it on the mangroves in front of her community before 6pm yesterday.
"There's other members of the community who saw it as well," she said last night.
"(We had) seen a plane balancing on top of the mangroves.
"It was a small 5-seater plane that was balancing. We went around to Progress Dr and could see the plane.
"We've got the helicopter going round and round and they can't seem to find it."
M ystery plane 'crashed' in mangroves just houses in distances, say police
The mystery was solved by mid-morning when police went to the site of the witness reports. The appearance of homes in the distance bore a striking similarity to a light plane very low to the ground. "Even the search and rescue coordinator said it bears a striking resemblance to an aircraft," a Northern Territory police spokesman said. "At a certain point on a coastal road, two structures meld together. "That, together with the poor visibility last night, and cars on the road causing the light to flicker made it appear there was a plane." The alarm was raised yesterday by a woman standing on a jetty at Nightcliff.
Darwin, Mark Payne, said..."It's very rare to receive a number of similar reports at the same time,"
Police attended the vicinity of Kululuk community and located two structures that when aligned together at a position on Progress Drive appeared to look like a small aircraft in the mangroves
– NT Police