http://www.thecourier.co.uk/output/2009/08...y13617266t0.asp
QUOTE
The badly-damaged plane being lowered to the ground at Caird Park on Thursday.
THE BIGGLES-loving pilot who crashed his plane into a tree on Caird Park golf course in Dundee has been branded a “danger” by fellow fliers—but has insisted he did nothing wrong.
An internet message board for pilots has been filled with pages of comments on the crash of the aircraft flown by businessman Vince Hagedorn.
It ended up 40ft above the course after he ran out of fuel on a flight from Barrow-in-Furness to Kinloss and he spent a night in hospital with a head injury.
While there he recounted how he had avoided built-up areas while landing and recalled a story about first world war hero Biggles in the crash landing, but other pilots dispute his heroism.
“So far this guy doesn’t appear to accept any responsibility for the accident that befell him but seems to revel in his own heroism at saving his neck and those on the ground,” said one anonymous poster.
“He hardly was a victim of an aircraft failure who braved all odds to bring his aircraft down safely and risked his life further to avoid hurting others. In fact he appears to have unilaterally created this accident by appalling airmanship and flying skills.”
His flight path took him into an area used by aircraft approaching Edinburgh as he crossed the Forth at 9000 to 10,000 feet.
A Scottish pilot said, “A grand day out very nearly became his last. Guys like this pose a greater danger to themselves than others but it does the rest of us a disservice when anyone, inadequately prepared, takes off and has an accident.
“There are some very bright people who are just not cut out as pilots, that’s why aptitude testing can be so useful. We all know folk like this man and we shouldn’t ignore their inadequacies as pilots.”
They expressed relief that the 63-year-old, a pilot for around four years, walked away from the drama relatively unscathed—but there was speculation that the Air Accident Investigation Branch would reach a number of findings following its already-launched inquiry.
A site member said, “He doesn’t need banning but he sure as heck needs some mentoring selfish at best. Well done everyone for helping him out of a mess of his own making.”
However a defiant Mr Hagedorn insisted he had done nothing wrong and that he had been following the instructions of air traffic controllers throughout.
Speaking from his home in Chelmsford, he said “weird clouds” had resulted in him burning more fuel than expected, prompting the unplanned deviation to Dundee.
“As a pilot I have done everything I should have done,” he said. “My route was chosen in conjunction with Dundee control tower, but nobody expected the engine to stop when I still had half an hour worth of fuel.
“The criticism is inevitable. These people are responding to news reports and they don’t know what actually happened—I did not run out of fuel.
“I had just enough fuel to get to Kinloss but what happened was that I burned my margin. I was flying above the clouds, which were broken so there was good visibility of the ground.
“But there were weird clouds, patches at different heights, and I got permission to fly at 9000ft while I was going through Edinburgh airspace. The higher the altitude the more fuel you burn.”
Mr Hagedorn said he was co-operating with the AAIB in its investigation and all his statements would be confirmed by the aircraft’s onboard equipment.
He said he believed the engine cut-out over Dundee was caused by a problem with that particular aircraft type when one of the tanks is empty, and the incident would lead to them being grounded for further investigation to prevent a repeat.
After being released from Ninewells on Thursday, Mr Hagedorn returned to Caird Park to try and retrieve personal possessions that had been left in the plane.
However, he was unable to do so and travelled south on the train wearing his hospital pyjamas and a high-visibility vest.
“After a while people on the train started to recognise me and one struck up a conversation, asking what it was like to be in a crash,” said Mr Hagedorn. “I said that it wasn’t a crash, it was a landing. If it had been a crash then I would have had my eyes closed and my arms up in the air!”
He said he was still suffering from sore ribs, but he was feeling better after getting home and having a couple of hot baths.
Wednesday’s crash was not the first involving an aeroplane at Caird Park.
On July 28, 1943, two Hurricane fighters were on a training flight at 22,000 feet over the city when one of the pupils blacked out.
The Hurricane V7725, its Merlin engine screaming, plummeted to the ground at full power and on impact left a smoking crater 60ft deep just off the Kingsway.
The pupil, Sergeant Carpenter, was the 23rd pilot to die during training operations from RAF Tealing, which closed in June 1945.
THE BIGGLES-loving pilot who crashed his plane into a tree on Caird Park golf course in Dundee has been branded a “danger” by fellow fliers—but has insisted he did nothing wrong.
An internet message board for pilots has been filled with pages of comments on the crash of the aircraft flown by businessman Vince Hagedorn.
It ended up 40ft above the course after he ran out of fuel on a flight from Barrow-in-Furness to Kinloss and he spent a night in hospital with a head injury.
While there he recounted how he had avoided built-up areas while landing and recalled a story about first world war hero Biggles in the crash landing, but other pilots dispute his heroism.
“So far this guy doesn’t appear to accept any responsibility for the accident that befell him but seems to revel in his own heroism at saving his neck and those on the ground,” said one anonymous poster.
“He hardly was a victim of an aircraft failure who braved all odds to bring his aircraft down safely and risked his life further to avoid hurting others. In fact he appears to have unilaterally created this accident by appalling airmanship and flying skills.”
His flight path took him into an area used by aircraft approaching Edinburgh as he crossed the Forth at 9000 to 10,000 feet.
A Scottish pilot said, “A grand day out very nearly became his last. Guys like this pose a greater danger to themselves than others but it does the rest of us a disservice when anyone, inadequately prepared, takes off and has an accident.
“There are some very bright people who are just not cut out as pilots, that’s why aptitude testing can be so useful. We all know folk like this man and we shouldn’t ignore their inadequacies as pilots.”
They expressed relief that the 63-year-old, a pilot for around four years, walked away from the drama relatively unscathed—but there was speculation that the Air Accident Investigation Branch would reach a number of findings following its already-launched inquiry.
A site member said, “He doesn’t need banning but he sure as heck needs some mentoring selfish at best. Well done everyone for helping him out of a mess of his own making.”
However a defiant Mr Hagedorn insisted he had done nothing wrong and that he had been following the instructions of air traffic controllers throughout.
Speaking from his home in Chelmsford, he said “weird clouds” had resulted in him burning more fuel than expected, prompting the unplanned deviation to Dundee.
“As a pilot I have done everything I should have done,” he said. “My route was chosen in conjunction with Dundee control tower, but nobody expected the engine to stop when I still had half an hour worth of fuel.
“The criticism is inevitable. These people are responding to news reports and they don’t know what actually happened—I did not run out of fuel.
“I had just enough fuel to get to Kinloss but what happened was that I burned my margin. I was flying above the clouds, which were broken so there was good visibility of the ground.
“But there were weird clouds, patches at different heights, and I got permission to fly at 9000ft while I was going through Edinburgh airspace. The higher the altitude the more fuel you burn.”
Mr Hagedorn said he was co-operating with the AAIB in its investigation and all his statements would be confirmed by the aircraft’s onboard equipment.
He said he believed the engine cut-out over Dundee was caused by a problem with that particular aircraft type when one of the tanks is empty, and the incident would lead to them being grounded for further investigation to prevent a repeat.
After being released from Ninewells on Thursday, Mr Hagedorn returned to Caird Park to try and retrieve personal possessions that had been left in the plane.
However, he was unable to do so and travelled south on the train wearing his hospital pyjamas and a high-visibility vest.
“After a while people on the train started to recognise me and one struck up a conversation, asking what it was like to be in a crash,” said Mr Hagedorn. “I said that it wasn’t a crash, it was a landing. If it had been a crash then I would have had my eyes closed and my arms up in the air!”
He said he was still suffering from sore ribs, but he was feeling better after getting home and having a couple of hot baths.
Wednesday’s crash was not the first involving an aeroplane at Caird Park.
On July 28, 1943, two Hurricane fighters were on a training flight at 22,000 feet over the city when one of the pupils blacked out.
The Hurricane V7725, its Merlin engine screaming, plummeted to the ground at full power and on impact left a smoking crater 60ft deep just off the Kingsway.
The pupil, Sergeant Carpenter, was the 23rd pilot to die during training operations from RAF Tealing, which closed in June 1945.
I would love to see any comments about this. Was he reckless? Was there a problem with the engine ? Surely the instruments would have told him he was running short of fuel, but you are the experts. Over to you.