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A cool-headed pilot has told how he safely glided his plane to the ground after his PROPELLOR fell off – at 2,000ft.
Unflapable Nick Chittenden, 46, was taking an afternoon spin in his restored single-engine Aeronca when the prop suddenly disappeared.
He calmly sent a mayday message and a golf and country club in his path was evacuated as six fire engines and three police cars were scrambled to the scene.
But Nick averted disaster by bringing his yellow plane down without a scratch onto a grass airstrip at Roserrow Golf and Country Club near Polzeath, Cornwall.
He then strolled into the bar for a celebration drink and toasted his good fortune.
Nick, a training captain for an Abu Dhabi-based airline, said: “There was a loud bang and the propeller disappeared off the left.
“I thought at that point things were slightly interesting.
“I was going through the air at quite a rate of knots. I just turned the switches off and turned the fuel off.
“There are lots of big fields here and it is quite a good area to fly over.
“When I was just having a look around for somewhere sensible to land I remembered there was an airstrip on the golf club here.
“I was just about a mile over that way but it took me quite a long time to circle down – even without a propeller.
“The aircraft glides very well – better than some gliders do.
“I just landed and stopped just before the track, which is where I intended to as I had already seen the hedge there and decided it was a good place to shove the aeroplane for the night.”
The drama just after 4pm on Wednesday as Nick, who lives near Liskeard, Cornwall, flew between Bodmin and Roche.
Eva Davies of Roserrow Golf and Country Club, said: “We had a phone call from the fire service who told us to evacuate the building, which included the restaurant, golf club, health club, gym, changing rooms, and swimming pool.
“The aircraft was spotted by a few golfers as it came in. He was gliding down straight on to our airfield.
“Although he landed safely, within five minutes we had six fire engines, three police cars and an ambulance here. They didn’t know if he was injured.
“The pilot just came into the building as though nothing had happened and got a friend to fly in and pick him up.
“The ambulance, police cars and fire engines all turned up with their sirens going and we had to try and stop them because the pilot was sitting down, having a glass of water and wondering what all the fuss was about.
“He said he had parked his aircraft in the hedge, because he wanted to get it out of the way.”
Matt Sutherland, who lives around half a mile from the golf course, said: “I looked up and I could see the plane and all of a sudden the engine just appeared to stop.
“We then lost sight of it. I have to admit that we were bracing ourselves for the noise of a crash but there was nothing.
“The pilot did an amazing job… it looked like a very smooth descent. I don’t know who he is but he’s clearly extremely good.”
Nick has previously worked for Air Southwest, Monarch Airlines and Air Atlantique.
He has 9,500 hours flying experience on more than 60 types of aircraft from long haul jets to microlight.
Courtesy of westerndailypress.co.uk
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