lucky escape after collision and beach landing in Holland
De Telegraaf 10 September 2012 by Eric the Brouwer, WASSENAAR, Monday (translation from Dutch).
Hans van der Linden, “Apparently it was not my time.”
"I have at least one angel on my shoulder and probably more than a dozen. What has happened here was too bizarre for words. An accident like this is nine times out of ten fatal. I'm happy to have enough remaining control to make a landing. Apparently it was not my time ...”
So says the 56-year-old professional pilot Hans van der Linden from Goes after the accident near Wassenaar. In the incident, Saturday, three aircraft were involved. Van der Linden, with 35 years of flying experience, made a scary emergency landing on the beach at Meijendel, near Wassenaar.
Hans had departed early afternoon from airport Middenzeeland with his Husky for a banner towing flight to advertise the CDA (Dutch political party). His route was northwards along the beach to Amsterdam. On the way, he saw that there were two other aircraft, which had departed Rotterdam. A Piper Cub with a banner of the SP and a Cessna 172 that was filming the SP advertising.
Near Wassenaar the 'film set’ Cessna was in collision with the Husky of Van der Linden.
"the exhaust of the Cessna burned two holes in my Left wing, in addition his right wheel hit the ailerons on my wing” said Hans.
“My Husky was for 40-50 percent uncontrollable and I went into a nosedive. Due to my experience and luck, I was able to land on a quiet stretch of beach.”
correction: damage was to top of left wing and left flap caused by Cessna right wheel and exhaust.
Last edited by flyme273; 10th Sep 2012 at 12:09.