Aircraft down in Highlands - pilot safe

PPRuNe Radar · 19th May 2005, 13:36

From the BBC

Crash pilot has 'minor injuries'

A pilot has escaped with minor injuries after his light aircraft crashed in the Cairngorms, police have said.

The Cessna - which was flying from Inverness to Newcastle - came down near Mount Keen, five miles from Ballater.

An RAF helicopter will fly mountain rescue teams as close to the crash site as possible in the bad weather.

The Austrian pilot, who called rescue services in Vienna to raise the alarm, has now spoken to the rescue centre at RAF Kinloss on his mobile phone.

Helicopter approach

A spokesman for Grampian Police said: "He had been told the mountain rescue team was on its way and was sitting by his aircraft in his orange dinghy.

"When he hears the approach of the helicopter he plans to set off his flares.

"We can confirm that the pilot has suffered only minor injuries."

Members of the Braemar Mountain Rescue Team will be involved in the operation.

Pilgrim101 · 19th May 2005, 14:02

Great news that he's safe, next headline, 'Helicopter shot down by flares" ?'

PPRuNe Radar · 19th May 2005, 14:19

Seems he has now been rescued

Quick work .. and hopefully he is now having a dram to toast his luck

Quote:

Rescue team reaches crash pilot

Mountain rescue teams have found a pilot who escaped with minor injuries after his light aircraft crashed in the Cairngorms, police said.

The Cessna - which was flying from Inverness to Newcastle - came down near Mount Keen, five miles from Ballater.

An RAF helicopter flew mountain rescue teams as close to the crash site as possible in the bad weather.

Grampian Police said the pilot was found by members of Braemar Mountain Rescue Team at about 1415 BST.

Arrangements are being made to take him to the helicopter so he can be transferred to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.

The Austrian pilot initially called rescue services in Vienna to raise the alarm on Thursday.

They put the call through to the RAF in Farnborough, before it finally got through to the rescue centre at RAF Kinloss.

A spokesman for Grampian Police said: "We can confirm that the pilot has suffered only minor injuries."

DB6 · 19th May 2005, 20:08

Wasn't a white and red/brown 172/182 was it? G-**BR or something like that?

PPRuNe Radar · 19th May 2005, 20:10

Looks like N8174V .. or something like that

2Donkeys · 19th May 2005, 20:12

I believe it was N-reg. Not surprising when you consider that it was reportedly acquired in the US a couple of weeks ago, and was in the process of being ferried to Austria.

2D

PPRuNe Radar · 19th May 2005, 20:22

Wonder if he is doing a Blog like yours 2Ds ??

Seriously though, glad he is not too badly damaged by the experience.

2Donkeys · 19th May 2005, 21:01

Quote:

Wonder if he is doing a Blog like yours 2Ds ??

If he is, this evening's entry should make compelling reading...
2D

DB6 · 20th May 2005, 07:47

Wow

! Lucky chap (or fairly unlucky looking at it another way).

rednine · 20th May 2005, 15:52

Those of us who fly in this area know the difficulties - the local paper reports that he had problems with the weather - suddenly changed and went into cloud

Speedtape · 20th May 2005, 16:36

A once nice looking 150 or aerobat bites the dust

eoincarey · 20th May 2005, 17:57

Pardon me for pointing out the bleeding obvious, but what the hell was he doing calling rescue services in Vienna, thousands of miles away?? Surely it would have made much more sense to put out a Mayday on his way down, or even to call 999 when on the ground.
That phone call must have been great fun!

"Hallo, Austrian Rescue? You dont know me ich think, but I vos hoping you could rescue me??"

"Keine problem mein freunde, ill send the helicopters straight away. Vere are you by ze vay?"

"Somevere in sodding Scotland"

ETC

PPRuNe Radar · 20th May 2005, 17:59

Quote:

the local paper reports that he had problems with the weather - suddenly changed and went into cloud

I love journalistic licence

The 'sudden' change was forecast on the F215 which should have been available to the pilot.

CLD ON HILLS, MOD ICE AND MOD TURB IN CLD

also OCNL low vis and RA/DZ was forecast.

2Donkeys · 20th May 2005, 18:22

Quote:

CLD ON HILLS, MOD ICE AND MOD TURB IN CLD

Sadly these days, no more than the Met Office Covering its behind. This appears in every single 215.

2D

PPRuNe Radar · 20th May 2005, 18:36

In Scotland there's more than 50% chance they'll be right though

2Donkeys · 20th May 2005, 19:22

Make that 90%

rednine · 21st May 2005, 06:27

mm! think we have had a weather discussion and whether to fly last week under a TAF thread?

smith · 21st May 2005, 13:03

What is the best thing to do if one gets themselves into this situation i.e. Increasing terrain and decreasing cloud base. A precautionary powered landing in a field would probably be best, but I'm sure many a pilot would rather "fly" their way out of it I guess?

youngskywalker · 21st May 2005, 14:31

Won't find too many fields over the highlands I'm afraid old boy!

And why is that all you sassanachs are convinced that imediately when one passes north of the border there is a line of snow, rain, freezing temperatures etc...what a load of old bollocks, along the same lines that cos we live in Scotland we must of course wear Kilts, play the bagpipies, eat haggis and live in hill crofts! The weather is just as often crap in England as it is hear.

The pilot was Austrian, the plane American, the mountain that the two met is Scottish (British)

End of rant!

PPRuNe Radar · 21st May 2005, 14:35

youngskywalker

O wad some Pow'r the giftie gie us
To see oursels as others see us
It wad frae monie a blunder free us
An' foolish notion
What airs in dress an' gait wad lea'e us
An' ev'n Devotion

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