A LIGHT aircraft pilot escaped unscathed after he was forced to make an emergency landing on Durban’s North Beach on Sunday afternoon. Ian Waghorn, 22, was making a routine flight from Howick to Virginia Airport for maintenance when disaster struck.
“Once I reached the harbour, about 10 kilometres to go, I noticed the oil pressure drop quite quickly, which is never a good sign. I immediately sent out a mayday and about 20 seconds later, the engine failed.
“I noticed a spot on the beach which was secluded and decided to land it there. I had a tail wind of 20 knots which was extremely tricky. I did what any pilot is trained to do for these types of situations. The only reason I walked away was because of the aircraft I was flying,” he said calmly.
The Hillcrest resident, a test pilot for Flight Frontiers South Africa, was flying a Savage Club S, which is designed for competing.
“As a pilot you train for these emergencies, there’s no time for panic. My instinct kicked in and I couldn’t have asked for a better aircraft for this to happen in,” he said.
Waghorn’s father, also a pilot, inspired the youngster to take up flying.
