RECREATION Aviation Australia is investigating an incident at Tyabb Airport on Thursday afternoon, when strong wind is being blamed for blowing a light aircraft off the runway.
Neither the trainee pilot nor the instructor was injured when the aircraft came off the runway on landing.
A report on the incident will be made by the RVA and Peninsula Aero Club.
Club president Jack Vevers said televised media reports of the incident were surprising, given the plane had already landed safely and no one was injured.
The two people helped from the damaged aircraft before emergency services arrived were later checked and cleared by Ambulance Victoria.
Because of a small fuel leak, members from Tyabb Fire Brigade made the area safe and remained on scene until the plane was taken away on the back of a truck.
Mr Vevers said it was unfortunate it was being portrayed as a safety incident, adding that the club had an “impeccable’’ safety record.
“Our pilots are subject to being retrained every two years, and we have a great safety record,’’ he said.
“It literally had landed and simply rolled off the runway a few metres by a gust of wind.”
The pilot was believed to be a novice pilot completing circuit training.
“I think we have a fantastic safety record,’’ Mr Vevers said.
Questions have been raised over why a training session had taken place on a day of strong, gusty north-easterly winds.
One Tyabb resident said the inexperienced pilot would have had trouble flying such a small plane in the “challenging” wind conditions.
First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 18 January 2022
