Emergency landing in Prosperita

THE first plane accident of the year took place early yesterday morning, when an aircraft of the Windhoek Flight Training Centre had to use Michelle McLean Street in Prosperita as a landing strip.

The aircraft – a four-seater Cessna 172 V5-MAR – had been rented from the WFTC by a licensed pilot, who was carrying his father on the flight.
The emergency landing took place at around 08h30 on its way back to the Eros Airport, where the plane was scheduled to land. Both the pilot and his passenger escaped unharmed, and were treated for shock.
According to Tinus Dreyer, owner of the WFTC, the pilot had to make an emergency landing because of engine failure.
Dreyer said he couldn’t comment further due to ongoing investigations by the Department of Transportation, but commended the pilot for a job well done in executing the emergency landing.
When contacted for comment, Ericksson Nengola, Director of Aircraft Accident Investigation at the Ministry of Works and Transport, said: ‘We have just started with investigations, and at this stage we haven’t found anything wrong; but we will deepen investigations as the pilot reported engine failure.’
According to Nengola, the plane’s left wing hit a street sign after landing in Michelle McLean Street. This caused the plane to swing to the left, causing the front undercarriage to hit the pavement and detach. The aircraft also sustained damage to the propeller and right wing. ‘The landing would have been fine if the left wing had not hit the signpost,’ said Nengola, who added that the pilot had followed the necessary procedures.
‘He did the best he could given the time and the circumstances.’
Venseline Nguvauva, Nakamela Mbandje and Charline Handura got the shock of their lives when they heard the plane hit the ground, brakes screeching in an attempt to bring the aircraft to a halt. ‘We just screamed and ran when we saw it,’ said Nguvauva.
The three eyewitnesses were sweeping the street at the time, and saw the plane as the brakes were applied, leaving brake marks along Michelle McLean Street.
‘The left wing hit the street sign, the aircraft spun to the left, and it would have gone into the bushes, but when the wheel hit the pavement it stopped. Only the right door could open, and we saw both men climb out, and walk a short way away from the plane,’ Nguvauva related.
The pilot’s identity could not be revealed by the WFTC or the Ministry, but according to Nengola, he received his Private Pilot Licence in January last year, and has logged about 33 hours of flying time.