Helicopter pilot's bridge stunt

Helicopter pilot’s bridge stunt

It is against the law to fly within five hundred feet of the bridge
Police and aviation officials have launched a search for a helicopter pilot who flew under the 100ft high Skye Bridge.
Local people and tourists crossing the bridge at the time watched in astonishment as an aircraft skimmed the water below them.

The stunt happened on two successive days and an eyewitness said he believed it was the same aircraft responsible for both incidents.

It is illegal to fly within 500ft of the structure.

Last year a pilot avoided prosecution for flying his light plane under the bridge after claiming he only did so to avoid a flock of seagulls.

Locals believe any collision between an aircraft and the £25m bridge would be catastrophic as it is the only road link to the mainland.

They claim Skye’s ferry service would not be able to cope with the extra load if the bridge is damaged and closed down.

What would happen if it hit the bridge? Without it, we wouldn’t have a link to the mainland

Ian Sikorski
Eye-witness

Kyleakin resident Ian Sikorski witnessed both incidents and reported them to police.

He said: “I saw the first one on Saturday, 14 June and then the very next day, another one did exactly the same.

“There’s not an awful lot of distance between the bridge and the water so it’s a very dangerous practice.

“It appears to be the same helicopter.

“What would happen if it hit the bridge? Without it, we wouldn’t have a link to the mainland.”

He added: “There’s only two ferries still operating but they would never cope with the volume of traffic here at the height of the season.”

Bridge closure

Skye Bridge manager Russell Thompson added: “We are very concerned – any aircraft striking the bridge, no matter what size, would close the bridge down until our engineers and the Scottish Executive could assess the damage.

“A decision would then have to be made on the advisability of re-opening it.”

Inspector Andy Brown, of the Northern Constabulary, said he was concerned that it might set a precedent of people wanting to take a joyride under the bridge.

He added: “From a police perspective, if an aircraft hits the bridge we have a major incident to deal with.

“We would have to recover persons from the water in terms of any fatalities or injuries, as well as dealing with the crashed aircraft itself.

“There would also be the major issue of integrity of the bridge which could see it closed, effectively cutting off the entire island in the winter months.”

Civil Aviation Authority inspectors have been informed of both incidents and they are checking all flight information and air traffic radio transmissions which could lead them to the culprit.