Plane with engine failure tees up emergency landing on eighth hole
A plane flying from Shropshire to the Isle of Wight was forced to make an unscheduled landing on the eighth hole of a golf course after the engine failed.
The-Shifnal based Jodel light aircraft owned by Alan lars Hamer of Kings Norton, Birmingham, ended up landing on the fairway of the par five hole near the airfield on the Isle of Wight.
Although the 1964-built green, white and black aircraft was badly damaged, the 51-year-old pilot, who had 331 hours flying experience, walked away with minor injuries.
The unscheduled landing on the golf course is revealed in a newly-published Air Accident Investigation Branch report.
The report says that the pilot had experienced some problems with his engine running roughly after taking off from Shifnal, where there is a small airfield. However, the engine had then settled down and he had an uneventful flight to the Isle of Wight.
On attempting to land at Sandown, however, the aircraft “bounced” on touchdown and he decided to abort that landing attempt and go round to make a second attempt. At a height of about 200 feet though the engine failed and he was left with no alternative but to land on the golf course next to the airfield.
The report continues: “He lowered the nose and identified a suitable strip of grass on rising ground to the right. He made a brief radio call then focused on the landing. The aircraft landed firmly and skidded for approximately 20 ft before stopping. The pilot selected the master switch off and exited the aircraft unaided.”
No reason for the engine failure has been identified but the report says that it could have been caused by ice forming in the carburettor – a known problem with some light aircraft – or that it could have been be the result of fuel vapour interrupting the aircraft’s fuel flow.
The crash landing on the golf course left the aircraft with serious damage to its engine, landing gear, left wing and fuselage.
