Beached at Shoreham
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Beached at Shoreham
PA28 Cherokee(G-BSZT) landed short of Shoreham yesterday. Made an emergency landing on the beach at Lancing. Looks as though it came straight in from Channel, ending up on shingle at top of beach. No injuries, but visible damage to wing tip and under fuselage.
Fortunately, beach visitors scattered in time!
Fortunately, beach visitors scattered in time!
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Local paper (Brighton Evening Argus) report, includes following picture:
A mystery hero cleared crowds from a beach seconds before a plane crash-landed on the shore.
The PA28 Cherokee plane plunged on to the beach at Lancing just yards from a bank holiday fair crowded with people.
Miraculously no one was injured after an onlooker noticed the plane's rapid descent and cleared everyone from its path.
Assistant Divisional Officer Ray Jackson, of West Sussex Fire Brigade, said: "Someone in the area cleared a lot of people out of the way.
"Whoever that person was, they thought very quickly and obviously saved a lot of lives.
"Another few metres further up the beach and this would have been a tragedy."
The pilot and his two passengers, a middle-aged woman and a young girl, from Shoreham, all escaped unharmed.
The Cherokee plane was on its way back to Shoreham airport after a day trip to Eastbourne when it ran into difficulties.
It skidded to a halt about 500m away from the family fair by Lancing beach after bouncing 100m up the beach.
Mr Jackson said the pilot's skilful landing had also helped prevent the accident from becoming a disaster.
Police incident officer Inspector Allan Lowe said: "There were people on the beach but luckily a member of the public who happened to know something about planes was on the beach.
"He realised what was happening and that the pilot was in trouble.
"It's a bank holiday, there are a lot of people around and it's amazing no one was hurt."
The red and white plane remained intact after the landing, which happened just after 3pm.
Only a bent propeller and a damaged wing hinted at the potentially devastating consequences of the near-miss.
Stuart Moultrie and his partner, Jacqueline Bowd, saw the plane coming towards the seafront.
Miss Bowd, who was visiting her sister Suzanne Nulty, of Brighton Road, opposite the beach, said:"I just remarked about how low it was coming in and then it came down on the beach and shunted up the bank to a halt."
An investigation has been launched.
[This message has been edited by newswatcher (edited 08 May 2001).]
A mystery hero cleared crowds from a beach seconds before a plane crash-landed on the shore.
The PA28 Cherokee plane plunged on to the beach at Lancing just yards from a bank holiday fair crowded with people.
Miraculously no one was injured after an onlooker noticed the plane's rapid descent and cleared everyone from its path.
Assistant Divisional Officer Ray Jackson, of West Sussex Fire Brigade, said: "Someone in the area cleared a lot of people out of the way.
"Whoever that person was, they thought very quickly and obviously saved a lot of lives.
"Another few metres further up the beach and this would have been a tragedy."
The pilot and his two passengers, a middle-aged woman and a young girl, from Shoreham, all escaped unharmed.
The Cherokee plane was on its way back to Shoreham airport after a day trip to Eastbourne when it ran into difficulties.
It skidded to a halt about 500m away from the family fair by Lancing beach after bouncing 100m up the beach.
Mr Jackson said the pilot's skilful landing had also helped prevent the accident from becoming a disaster.
Police incident officer Inspector Allan Lowe said: "There were people on the beach but luckily a member of the public who happened to know something about planes was on the beach.
"He realised what was happening and that the pilot was in trouble.
"It's a bank holiday, there are a lot of people around and it's amazing no one was hurt."
The red and white plane remained intact after the landing, which happened just after 3pm.
Only a bent propeller and a damaged wing hinted at the potentially devastating consequences of the near-miss.
Stuart Moultrie and his partner, Jacqueline Bowd, saw the plane coming towards the seafront.
Miss Bowd, who was visiting her sister Suzanne Nulty, of Brighton Road, opposite the beach, said:"I just remarked about how low it was coming in and then it came down on the beach and shunted up the bank to a halt."
An investigation has been launched.
[This message has been edited by newswatcher (edited 08 May 2001).]
