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Men rescued after SA plane engine failure

Two men on board a light plane that went missing in outback South Australia have been found with just minor injuries after an emergency landing.

Police tape restricts access to a street
File photo. Source: AAP

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Source: AAP


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Two men have escaped with minor injuries after engine failure in their light plane forced them to make an emergency landing in outback South Australia.

The tourists, 34 and 39, from Maitland on SA's Yorke Peninsula, were on a sightseeing tour over Lake Eyre.

Their families raised the alarm after the single-engine ultralight plane failed to land at Marree on Tuesday night.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority says the men were found 30km northwest of the town at around 9.30am on Wednesday after search planes combed an area of about 5000sq kilometres around Lake Eyre.

They were taken to the Royal Flying Doctor Service clinic at Marree for treatment and medical checks with mosquito bites and a few scratches.

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Locals said conditions in the area were mild overnight.

Marree Roadhouse owner Lyall Oldfield spoke to one of the men before they flew out to the lake on Tuesday.

"They came in to get fuel and they said they were going to have a look at the lake because it's got water in it," he told AAP.

The pair were meant to stay the night at the Marree Hotel and when they didn't arrive, manager Rebecca Turner thought they were lingering in the skies to enjoy the sunset.

"I went out to pick them up and they weren't there and I thought that they were just staying a little bit longer to enjoy the sunset," she said.

"The second time I went back there I called the police."


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