Light Aircraft lands on the A40 in Gloucestershire
 

Traffic on the left cracking on up the road!

Fournier RF-6.

Many many many years ago, my PPL instructor said if all else fails, why not land on the motorway. Beats trying a field and hitting trees. Looks like a good safe result.

This is the one.

https://pilotweb.aero/news/tech-log-...store-8109934/

Seems an odd thing to suggest. Land on a motorway and potentially kill motorists as well.

Also many many years ago, I was involved in an engine failure low level directly over the M1.

The thought of aiming for the busy road beneath us never entered our heads and for me, rightly so.

Recovery of the RF6...

https:/www.facebook.com/groups/5455505861192843/permalink/6462003943876358/

Photo credit: Dean Chamberlin.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....5dcf3910e5.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....6e22941e96.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....32cea50981.jpg

depends on your options, id rather risk landing in the flow of traffic than a field with unkown crop. But hey im just an old crusty jet driver, who hasnt been in a single engine in years.

Was lifting it by the spinner bulkhead really the best option? Maybe the insurance company already owned it but I'd have pulled the top cowling and lifted at the engine mount firewall clusters.

My current ride came with lift rings but I don't plan to land it on a guard rail just to see if the salvage crew is smart enough to use them.

I find it simply incredible that any pilot would ever consider landing on such a busy road. It's an act of utter desperation to land on even a fairly empty road, (far too narrow, too many unobservable obstructions plus 60mph obstacles weighing twice to twenty what you do coming in the opposite direction) but a busy dual carriageway like that? And on top of the central armco? That's utter madness, and unless there's a <u>completely</u> compelling reason why I'd suggest verging on criminally, leave alone morally irresponsible.
There appear to be a number of suitable sized fields in the immediate vicinity that wouldn't risk a 120mph head on with a truck.

Why are people condemning the pilot when they don't know the circumstances? First find out what his options were, how much traffic there was, were there bridges or signs in the way, why did he move to the centre of the road, etc. The RF6 has a stalling speed of 54 kts, so at least the speed differential with the traffic could have been minimised. It would have been possible to land without causing cars to crash. Which is exactly what happened.

From the BBC: -

"Mr Ivey added that the plane was flying to Staverton, where it is normally based, and the airport closed as a result of the incident."

Seems a little excessive to close the aerodrome for this? The accident occurred off-airfield.

He seems very lucky to have walked away from this, with no collision with traffic.
I would have thought that almost any field - regardless of crop - would have been a better choice...
But then, I was not the pilot making the decision.

I thought the same when I read that - maybe fire/other key personnel off the airfield to deal with this issue?

If the incident was close to the airfield then it would be treated as an airfield incident and be SOP to send the airfield fire service to it thus leaving the airport without fire cover.

SO they would close until the incident had been managed and the fire cover restored.

Aerodrome Fire & Rescue services at a licenced aerodrome are obliged to respond to an aircraft incident within a set distance of the airfield. In doing so, they remove the ARFF from the airfield, making it unlicenced. Rather than closing the airport completely, although they may well of done at the discretion of the airport, it was likely closed for traffic requiring a licenced aerodrome.

The last words in the article...

So does anybody out there in Pilot-land know where I can get an old but serviceable Continental O-200 engine from a low-winged aeroplane (so it has a fuel pump lobe on its camshaft)?

On 'The Other Forum' it is suggested that Staverton shut due to a minor taxiing accident between a gyrocopter and a fixed wing at more or less the same time. It is of course possible that its crash trucks attenmded this scene thereby denying the airfield crash cover.

And another lesson from this accident: Gloucester Police operate unmarked black Volvos!

Probably didn't want to risk drowning after the U.K. summer thus far..... :}