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From todays Times
The hard copy of the Times has a picture to boot.
August 19, 2005
The pilot who didn't know 6ft of wing was gone
By A Correspondent
A PILOT flew his five-seater aircraft for two hours before he realised that nearly 6ft of the wing and a fuel tank were missing.
The pilot told investigators that he thought his Cessna 210 had been “struck by a little bird” on take-off from an airport near Shannon last Friday.
In fact a large section of wing and an auxiliary tank had been ripped off. The aircraft, which was setting out on a 961-mile flight to Lisbon, was forced to make an emergency landing at Jersey International Airport two hours and 379 miles later.
Neither the Irish pilot nor three flight engineers on the plane, who were on their way to repair a grounded Boeing 747, had noticed that 5ft 6in of the wing was missing. It was only when the pilot, who works for Pacific Network Air and has not been named, noticed that the fuel gauge for the missing tank was on empty that the damage was spotted. The fuel tank was found on the ground back in Ireland.
A spokesman for the Jersey airport said: “We were amazed it had managed to fly as long as it had, it was in a real state when it came in.
“The pilot was the most shocked of us all as he had not realised the extent of the damage while he was flying. It could have ended up being more serious than it was. They were very lucky.”
Peter Hearne, an aviation crash expert, said: “Losing that amount of wing you should wonder why you are having to compensate with the controls. It is quite something and you would have thought that the pilot would have noticed sooner rather than later.”
The Irish Air Accident Investigations Unit is looking at whether the pilot “misjudged” the runway and took off too low. A spokesman said: “After the pilot heard a bang he thought he had been hit by a bird, but he decided to proceed.Usually, if an aircraft is hit by anything, a pilot will decide to land immediately.”
He added: “It is a possibility that he misjudged the take-off, causing him to collide with trees.”
Pacific Network Air were unavailable for comment.
The hard copy of the Times has a picture to boot.
August 19, 2005
The pilot who didn't know 6ft of wing was gone
By A Correspondent
A PILOT flew his five-seater aircraft for two hours before he realised that nearly 6ft of the wing and a fuel tank were missing.
The pilot told investigators that he thought his Cessna 210 had been “struck by a little bird” on take-off from an airport near Shannon last Friday.
In fact a large section of wing and an auxiliary tank had been ripped off. The aircraft, which was setting out on a 961-mile flight to Lisbon, was forced to make an emergency landing at Jersey International Airport two hours and 379 miles later.
Neither the Irish pilot nor three flight engineers on the plane, who were on their way to repair a grounded Boeing 747, had noticed that 5ft 6in of the wing was missing. It was only when the pilot, who works for Pacific Network Air and has not been named, noticed that the fuel gauge for the missing tank was on empty that the damage was spotted. The fuel tank was found on the ground back in Ireland.
A spokesman for the Jersey airport said: “We were amazed it had managed to fly as long as it had, it was in a real state when it came in.
“The pilot was the most shocked of us all as he had not realised the extent of the damage while he was flying. It could have ended up being more serious than it was. They were very lucky.”
Peter Hearne, an aviation crash expert, said: “Losing that amount of wing you should wonder why you are having to compensate with the controls. It is quite something and you would have thought that the pilot would have noticed sooner rather than later.”
The Irish Air Accident Investigations Unit is looking at whether the pilot “misjudged” the runway and took off too low. A spokesman said: “After the pilot heard a bang he thought he had been hit by a bird, but he decided to proceed.Usually, if an aircraft is hit by anything, a pilot will decide to land immediately.”
He added: “It is a possibility that he misjudged the take-off, causing him to collide with trees.”
Pacific Network Air were unavailable for comment.
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