A plane that loses one of its doors in flight is usually the climax of the average disaster movie. A 68-year-old Styrian would probably have gladly exchanged his seat in the cockpit, high above the airport in Klagenfurt, for a comfortable cinema chair at the weekend. Because for him these scenes suddenly became bitter reality.
The experienced pilot from the Murau district boarded his “Super II”, a small aircraft made by Glasair Aviation USA in 2011, around 3 p.m. on Saturday.
Rescue attempt failed
From Klagenfurt we were supposed to head back home, the air was dry and visibility was clear. But just a few minutes after takeoff, the 68-year-old heard noises that are not part of a carefree flight: the gullwing door on the pilot’s side had opened – and could no longer be closed. The pilot reacted correctly, wanted to return to the airport immediately and tried to pull the door back manually. But it was too late: the wind tore the lightweight door from its anchorage at a height of 1,500 meters.
Without his left cockpit canopy, the pilot was now exposed to the wind without protection. As a result, the suction also damaged his headset – a radio connection to the airport staff was no longer possible.
The Styrian finally had to send an emergency signal via his transponder to communicate with the tower at the airport.
The man, who had been on the road in his plane for more than ten years without an accident, landed without any problems. However, it is unclear where the wing door, which is around half a square meter in size, came onto the floor. It is believed to be in an undeveloped area about three kilometers north of St. Donat near St. Veit an der Glan. The police assume that she will soon be found “somewhere between forest and meadow areas”. In any case, no one was injured by the aircraft part falling from the sky.
search for the cause
The man’s machine is now at Klagenfurt Airport and is to be examined. A report has already been sent to Austro-Control, which will decide on the next steps.
It is unclear whether the locking mechanism on the wing door was defective. The pilot had assembled the machine as a self-assembly kit. The man will be questioned again tomorrow by the authorities about the incident.
Source: Nachrichten
