Pilot avoids air disaster

9:29am Tuesday 17th June 2003

A POTENTIAL disaster was averted by an heroic pilot who managed to land his plane on only two wheels at Wycombe Air Park on Sunday.

The air park's control tower called firefighters at 2pm to support its own fire service after the Piper two-seater prop-plane reported a problem with the front landing gear.

Station officer Daryl Keen of High Wycombe fire station later said the plane's front wheel had fallen off.

However, the unnamed solo pilot walked away from the plane uninjured after safely landing the light aircraft in the airfield in Clay Lane, Booker.

Capt Tim Orchard, managing director of Airways Aero Associations Ltd which runs the airfield, praised the pilot, who went back in the air later the same afternoon. He said: "He was fairly experienced and coped with it well.

"He did not have a problem and carried out a good landing. After he landed the plane he was fine. There was a problem with the nose leg which may have been damaged so we took precautions but the plane landed on its main wheels with minimal damage."

The Air Accident Investigations Branch (AAIB) took the decision not to investigate the incident and Capt Orchard said: "We informed them about the accident and they were quite happy it was under control. It is something that they know happens on occasions."

The pilot took off from Wycombe Air Park at about 1pm, but when he attempted to return he had to abort his first landing. He waited for fire crews to arrive at the air park before making his second landing attempt.

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