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Plane Flies For Two Hours With [half] Wing Missing (with pic)
Western Daily Press [Ireland] ^
| 8/19/2005
| unknown
Posted on 08/19/2005 2:36:22 PM PDT by sionnsar
A Dozy pilot flew his plane for two hours before he noticed that five-and-a-half feet of one wing had been torn off by a tree on take-off. The Irish pilot told investigators he thought he had been "struck by a little bird" on takeoff in his five-seater Cessna 210.
But despite two of the three passengers being top flight engineers on their way to fix a Boeing 767, no one noticed that half the left wing, containing one fuel tank, was missing. The unnamed pilot was forced to make an emergency landing at Jersey International Airport two hours later after he finally spotted the fuel gauge plummeting towards empty.
The drama unfolded as the Cessna took off from Brittas House Airstrip, 18 miles east of Shannon in Ireland last Friday.
As the small aircraft - bound for Lisbon in Portugal - left the runway it collided with treetops which ripped off a 5ft 7ins section of the left wing. The fuel tank was later found on the ground - back in Ireland.
Jersey International Airport was alerted and air traffic controllers guided the damaged plane to safety.
A spokesman for the 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."
TOPICS: News/Current Events
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"Dozy"?
1
posted on
08/19/2005 2:36:25 PM PDT
by
sionnsar
To: All
2
posted on
08/19/2005 2:37:12 PM PDT
by
sionnsar
(†trad-anglican.faithweb.com† || (To Libs:) You are failing to celebrate MY diversity || Iran Azadi)
To: sionnsar
3
posted on
08/19/2005 2:37:45 PM PDT
by
Michael Goldsberry
(an enemy of islam -- Joe Boucher; Leapfrog; Dr.Zoidberg; Lazamataz; ...)
To: sionnsar
Probably wondered why he had to keep adjusting the trim.
4
posted on
08/19/2005 2:38:08 PM PDT
by
My2Cents
("The essence of American journalism is vulgarity divested of truth." -- Winston Churchill)
To: sionnsar
5
posted on
08/19/2005 2:38:23 PM PDT
by
SoDak
To: sionnsar
No one looked out the window?
6
posted on
08/19/2005 2:38:46 PM PDT
by
Bogey78O
(*tagline removed per request*)
To: Aeronaut; Paleo Conservative
Holy cr*p ping.
7
posted on
08/19/2005 2:38:59 PM PDT
by
Turbopilot
(Nothing in the above post is or should be construed as legal research, analysis, or advice.)
To: Bogey78O
8
posted on
08/19/2005 2:39:23 PM PDT
by
EagleUSA
To: sionnsar
BRINGS MEANING TO THE SAYING "WING AND A PRAYER"
GODSPEED!
9
posted on
08/19/2005 2:40:42 PM PDT
by
alpha-8-25-02
("SAVED BY GRACE AND GRACE ALONE")
To: Bogey78O
Same reason a tree-stand works so well - everyone (including deer) looks down!
10
posted on
08/19/2005 2:40:48 PM PDT
by
geopyg
("It's not that liberals don't know much, it's just that what they know just ain't so." (~ R. Reagan))
To: sionnsar
Alcohol may have been involved
11
posted on
08/19/2005 2:41:07 PM PDT
by
muir_redwoods
(Free Sirhan Sirhan, after all, the bastard who killed Mary Jo Kopechne is walking around free)
To: sionnsar
Paddie...I'd bet he had tossed a pint and a Guiness before take-off.
12
posted on
08/19/2005 2:41:07 PM PDT
by
BigFinn
To: Slings and Arrows
13
posted on
08/19/2005 2:41:11 PM PDT
by
glock rocks
(Let's light this candle.)
To: sionnsar
FR pilot heros will be here to analyze this affair.
14
posted on
08/19/2005 2:41:50 PM PDT
by
cynicom
To: geopyg
Same reason a tree-stand works so well - everyone (including deer) looks down! I don't know how much those wings flex, but it might not have been all that visible from inside the plane.
15
posted on
08/19/2005 2:42:28 PM PDT
by
sionnsar
(†trad-anglican.faithweb.com† || (To Libs:) You are failing to celebrate MY diversity || Iran Azadi)
To: sionnsar
Any chance beer involverd here?
16
posted on
08/19/2005 2:43:56 PM PDT
by
don-o
(Don't be a Freeploader. Do the right thing and become a Monthly Donor!)
To: Turbopilot; COEXERJ145; microgood; liberallarry; cmsgop; shaggy eel; RayChuang88; Larry Lucido; ...
If you want on or off my aerospace ping list, please contact me by Freep mail not by posting to this thread.
17
posted on
08/19/2005 2:44:41 PM PDT
by
Paleo Conservative
(France is an example of retrograde chordate evolution.)
To: sionnsar; Paleo Conservative; aculeus; general_re; Tennessee_Bob; Pukin Dog; Petronski; ...
But despite two of the three passengers being top flight engineers on their way to fix a Boeing 767, no one noticed that half the left wing, containing one fuel tank, was missing.OK, fellas, what is wrong in this picture?
18
posted on
08/19/2005 2:45:25 PM PDT
by
dighton
To: sionnsar
he thought he had been "struck by a little bird" WTF was he smokin or drinking???!!! By golly, a "little bird" doesn't do that kind of damage.
19
posted on
08/19/2005 2:45:58 PM PDT
by
BigTex5
To: dighton
Whoa... another HOLY CR*P ping.... I'm no A&P, but I think something is missing. Also, is that the mount in front peeling back?
20
posted on
08/19/2005 2:47:50 PM PDT
by
BigTex5
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