Dear Gerry, Thank you for your article concerning the near disastrous plane crash at Cardiff airport. Unfortunately, I cannot publish the article as written and am forced to edit it into a more readable article. I think you failed to grasp how dangerous this incident was to the people of Cardiff and South Wales. I would suggest that if you wish to further you career as a journalist then you should take note of my edit and in future use it as a template.
Sadly though, this will be with another publication as I cannot afford to employ a journalist whose work I need to edit so extensively.
Good luck in your future career as a signwriter.
Regards
The Editor
Pilot in Death Plunge Terror
Sep 8 2008 by Gerry Holt, Western Mail
A amateur PILOT and his sobbing passenger was lucky to escape alive after spiralling to the ground in a terrifying plunge after nearly hitting Cardiff's airport terminal in the process. Hundreds of holidaymakers were gathered there waiting for their flights. A passenger, Mary Jones, who witnessed the near disaster told us 'From the airport bar, we could see the little plane flying round for a while, all over the sky. It headed in to land several times but the pilot seemed to be in trouble. Every time he touched the runway, he zoomed back into the air again. We knew something was up, straightaway. Then it dropped suddenly and seemed to head straight at us. Everyone was screaming and crying. Luckily at the last minute, it swerved and hit the ground not far from the airport. We were all so lucky.'
It is believed the pilot hit the ground after all the engines of his small plane, a Robin 2008, cut out. Eyewitnesses saw smoke pouring from the stricken plane as it dived towards the ground, narrowly missing a school and a bus load of holidaymakers on the way to the airport. One man told me how he could see the passenger looking terrified as it dived low to the ground at about 250 miles an hour.
The amateur pilot, a member of the Cardiff Flying Club, is believed to have made several attempts to land at Cardiff International Airport. But failed each time to stop on the runway. Then on the final attempt the plane plunged to Earth about a mile from the airport in a field just short of runway one two two, narrowly missing a KLM jumbo jet with 450 passengers on board that was waiting to take off. A landing BMIbaby jet from Glasgow was forced to overshoot it's landing while passengers gasped and cried in horror at the near miss.
Local emergency services, as well as the airport fire crew, declared a full emergency and rushed to the crash scene. Local hospitals were put on full alert for mass casualties. Luckily they were not needed. After the crash, the airport was closed for about two hours and delays were caused all over the UK and Europe. It later reopened and flights continued as normal.
The aircraft last night remained at the crash site and South Wales Police officers were also called who impounded the wreckage for a full investigation. The pilot was questioned and breath tested. CAA investigators were called to scene and set up an incident room.
Airport public relations manager Cassie Harwood-Munton confirmed last night that the pilot had supposed to be practising landings and had hit the ground during one of these maneouvres. When questioned as to why an aircraft like this with an amateur pilot was allowed to fly near built up areas and perilously close to holiday jets, full of hundreds of passengers she said:
“We have no choice, the CAA allows this to happen. We have been lobbying for years to ban these activities near airports. But there is nothing we can do. Next time hundreds could be killed,” she said.