Pilot safe, plane not. 🙂
Interesting that another paper shows a white plane as the victim. Papers, tssh!
By: Moggy C - 31st May 2012 at 16:46
…what aeroplane was it ?
I understand it was a Zenair Ch601
Moggy
By: Arabella-Cox - 31st May 2012 at 12:06
Glad he’s ok. Well done!
By: topspeed - 31st May 2012 at 07:03
That tail assembly looks familiar…what aeroplane was it ?
By: Moggy C - 30th May 2012 at 22:34
This account appears elsewhere
by BobPreston » Wed May 30, 2012 22:30
The Pilot was a temporary visitor to Swansea from the nearby Park Farm grass strip. He departed from runway 28 to fly to Haverfordwest and on the climb out encountered severe turbulence which caused the canopy on the aircraft to open and raise up causing an air brake.
The Pilot endeavoured to maintain hight but despite maintaining full power the aircraft began to descend. The Pilot was also struggling to keep the canopy in place with one arm and fly the aircraft with the other!
Having already gained sufficient height he was able to turn downwind and attempted to land on the disused runway 35 but landed in gorse bushes slightly short of the runway. The aircraft burst into flames seconds after the landing ( probably a result of the fuel tank in the front of the aircraft departing its fixing or the piping doing likewise ) The Pilot managed to exit the aircraft suffering slight burns to his legs and arms. The aircraft was totally destroyed within a matter of minutes despite the good endeavours of the airport fire service.
Speaking with the Pilot shortly after the incident I was amazed how calmly he dealt with what could have very easily have been a fatal incident firstly if he had lost control of the aircraft and secondly then managing to exit the aircraft which had already burst into flames seconds after the landing.
Moggy
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May 30, 2012 at 4:13 pm