Pilot's split second decision to land on A40 near Cheltenham

A pilot landed a plane on a busy stretch of road after an engine failure.

Author: Rachael WhitePublished 15th Dec 2023

The plane landed on the A40 near Cheltenham in August.

A report has now been release by the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) into what happened.

It found the plane's engine failed in mid-air, despite attempts, the pilot could not restart the aircraft.

The pilot was aiming to glide the plane into Gloucestershire Airport, but feared the aircraft was descending too quickly and would crash into the trees before the runway.

In a split second decision, the pilot landed the plane onto the dual carriageway.

The AAIB said in the report they cannot ''positively determine'' the reason for the engine failure.

They said: "The damage to the aircraft was beyond economic repair."

Miraculously, no one was injured.

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