Microlight pilot survives crash off Deal coast

gwyn wrote:

Paul, you are incorrect. There is a very real danger of drowning in a ditched flexwing. There is a good chance it will nose over on landing and the occupant will end up sinking and having difficulty evacuating due to the various cables. Happened in the early 90s as an example.

10 Mar 2011 6:33 PM

Report Abuse

Paul H wrote:

Thank God he survived, or should that be, thank the crew of the Britannia Beaver. Nobody has yet mentioned the fact, that if this crew and captain were not on the ball, this guy would not have survived. Even with their intervention he had hypothermia - with out it he wouldn't be here. Thanks must go out to them.

18 Sep 2010 12:37 AM

Report Abuse

Alan wrote:

Nice to see that the Walmer lifeboat crew get a mention here for launching and landing the pilot ashore to a waiting ambulance ten searching for the wreckage!

13 Sep 2010 8:26 PM

Report Abuse

Alan wrote:

Nice to see that the Walmer lifeboat crew get a mention here for launching and landing the pilot ashore to a waiting ambulance ten searching for the wreckage!

13 Sep 2010 8:25 PM

Report Abuse

Awaygill wrote:

Have to disagree with you Paul. As a flexwing pilot I believe there is serious risk to life on ditching in the sea.
There are many factors to consider which have been discussed at great length on the BMAA forum.
As opposed to going in to detail for those interested copy the folowing link http://forums.bmaa.org/default.aspx?f=15&m=83821

The ditched flex was a Blade 912 so will be interested to see what happened

13 Sep 2010 7:06 PM

Report Abuse

Paul wrote:

Martyn, I said there was no risk to life from the ditching, didn't say he wouldn't sustain any injuries. I can't recall the last time any GA pilot died as a result of the ditching itself, fairly certain all the fatalities I've heard of (and it's far from common as you'll know) succombed to hypothermia. As for your shark comment - the fella ditched in Deal. Whilst I'm sure someone will tell me that sharks do frequent UK waters, I'd suggest the chances of one being in the Deal area at the time as extremely unlikely, so no luck required to avoid one.

13 Sep 2010 3:02 PM

Report Abuse

Martyn B wrote:

Not quite right, Paul.
I am a microlight pilot and ditching a weight shift trike in the sea - in fact any sudden stop situation - could result in severe injury to the chest of the pilot from the wing control bar. He is very lucky, and that there were no sharks; I lost a friend in South Africa (English lad) who dipped into the sea during the sardine run, and so the sharks were there in great numbers :-(

13 Sep 2010 2:25 PM

Report Abuse

Paul wrote:

If the pilot ditched his aircraft in the water (as opposed to suffering a structure failure and dropping out of the sky), which is what it sounds like, the only risk to life was from the hypothermia, not the "crash-landing" itself. Knowing this probably wouldn't have stopped him acquiring some new patterns on his underwear though.

13 Sep 2010 10:11 AM

Report Abuse