Lucky escape for pilot forced to make emergency landing in paddock

A pilot had a lucky escape after the engine of his light plane failed in mid-air and forced him to make an emergency landing in a paddock in Victoria's east.

The 53-year-old pilot escaped unharmed despite clipping power lines as he landed in the field near Traralgon shortly before 8.30am.

The plane left the Latrobe Valley Regional airport en-route to New Zealand but experienced engine problems soon after take-off.

The two-seater agricultural plane used primarily for crop dusting, clipped powerlines on its way down before safely landing in a paddock.

Ambulance Victoria area manager Paul James said that by the time paramedics reached the scene the pilot had "removed himself from the plane and said he was fine."

Property owner Ken Ludlow said he was upstairs on the computer when he heard a loud bang.

"When I rushed outside I saw the pilot getting out of the aeroplane and I realised what had happened," Mr Ludlow told 9News.

He said he had recently cut down pine trees on the property that would have been in the way of the pilot's emergency landing path.

"He would have ploughed into those had they not been cut down," he said.

Country Fire Authority officers also attended the scene because of the risk of a fuel spill.

"It had a lot of fuel on it too so when it hit the ground it apparently it took the bottom hatch out," Mr Ludlow said.