UK pilot crashes with sheep on runway

A microlight pilot crashed in Scotland after sheep jumped over a fence from their enclosed field and crossed the runway ahead of him.

A microlight pilot escaped serious injury in Scotland after crashing into a makeshift wall when a flock of sheep wandered on to a runway during his take-off.

The 43-year-old man was moments from lift off at East Fortune Airfield near North Berwick in East Lothian when several sheep jumped over a fence from their enclosed field and crossed the runway ahead of him.

He aborted the take off and hit the brakes, managing to pass through the middle of the flock without hitting any.

As the runway was coming to an end, he turned off the engine and the microlight crashed into a concrete roof truss that had been placed across the runway's end.

The accident on September 28 last year was reported to the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) by the pilot and details were published in its latest bulletin.

It said the weather was good in the area and another pilot had made a successful take-off just two minutes before the accident.

The report said the landowner around the airfield has now decided not to keep sheep near the runway and will graze other livestock in enclosed areas nearby.


2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP



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