A pensioner’s vintage aircraft was damaged when it was buffeted by high winds on a runway at Aboyne Airfield.
The 74-year-old man was taxiing his 1963 Piper PA-25 Pawnee from one runway to another at the site when a strong gust of wind pummeled the small plane and caused its propellor to strike the ground.
Details of the the incident, which took place at 9.10am on Saturday, October 28, have now been revealed by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB).
The pilot submitted an accident report form to investigators, describing the scenes that played out on the blustery morning.
The report states: “The pilot was taxiing the aircraft from runway 09N to runway 09S in a strong crosswind.
“He reported that, as the aircraft approached the end of the taxiway, a gust caused it to yaw to the right and pitch forward simultaneously.
“He closed the throttle and applied full rearward deflection of the control column, but the tail continued to rise – causing the propellor to strike the ground.”
The new report also explained that the pilot of the private aircraft had 14,100 hours of flying experience at the time of the incident and that he was alone in the craft at the time.
