It had already suffered damage from a forced landing last Saturday, but was sitting harmlessly in a field (with its pilots in a local hospital) when vandals smashed the canopy and cockpit instruments and set fire to both wings. The Pilatus P2 was one of only two in the UK, and following the attack it appears unlikely it will ever fly again. “It just shows that there are a lot of morons in the world who have no respect for anything,” Patrick Bryan, radio operator at Spanhoe Airfield (the aircraft’s intended destination), told a local newspaper. The aircraft’s pilot is believed to have owned the aircraft for just ten days prior to suffering the in-flight engine failure that led to the off-airport crash landing. The aircraft’s landing gear collapsed as it came down in a wheat field and its propeller impacted the ground, but the Pilatus had come to rest on its belly and largely intact. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch is seeking a report from the pilot who along with one passenger suffered only minor injuries.
Vandals Destroy Rare Aircraft In UK
Key Takeaways:
- A rare Pilatus P2 aircraft, one of only two in the UK, made a forced landing in a field due to engine failure, sustaining minor damage but remaining largely intact.
- After the forced landing, vandals attacked the aircraft, smashing its canopy and instruments and setting fire to both wings.
- The extensive damage caused by the vandalism means the aircraft is now unlikely to ever fly again.
- The pilot had owned the aircraft for only ten days prior to the initial engine failure and forced landing.
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