Matthew Xuereb
Skilled pilot crash lands safely in field
Plane glided for about one minute
Happy to be alive: Pilot Paul Soler, 46, said he was "shaken but happy to be alive" after crash-landing his micro light plane in Mtaħleb. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier.
A pilot's skill and quick thinking saved his life and that of his passenger yesterday when he crash-landed in a field, narrowly avoiding a clutch of high voltage cables in the process.
Although shaken, the two emerged unscathed from the microlight plane, which was only slightly damaged, earning praise from fellow pilots for his prowess under pressure.
Pilot Paul Soler, 46, said he was "shaken but happy to be alive" even though everything about his demeanour suggested he had quickly regained his composure.
He and his 42-year-old passenger, Edwina Soler, were returning to Luqa airport after a sightseeing tour around Gozo when his engine stalled. He had only been in the air for 50 minutes.
Although he was flying at around 1,500 feet, which is standard for this sort of plane, Dr Soler said he did not panic.
He issued a May Day to the Luqa control tower and started looking for a place to land.
He had very little time as the plane was losing altitude fast and the Mtaħleb area which he was overflying is 800 feet above sea level.
The airport was too far away - about eight kilometres - so he decided to make an emergency landing in a field.
He spotted a patch and crash-landed his plane on what later turned out to be a vineyard. In doing so he managed to avoid some high voltage cables that were just 15 metres above the ground - by flying underneath them.
Dr Soler, who has over 200 hours of experience and is considered a veteran pilot, said he glided for about one minute between the engine cutting out and landing the plane on the soil.
The aircraft was only slightly damaged, mainly in its undercarriage, and only because it hit a brick trench as it landed. It came to a halt just a few metres from where it came down.
The plane is a Savannah microlight weighing just 250 kilogrammes and with an 85bhp engine. It is the first plane that, in 2004, was built from scratch in Malta.
Other aviation enthusiasts arrived on the scene upon hearing about the incident. They congratulated Dr Soler for his ability to ground the plane without serious consequences.
"You've done a great job Paul. Well done," one of them told Dr Soler as he joked that this was why they called him "the veteran".
The doctor pilot's training and experience proved to be a life-saver, they said.
Sources said the Air Accident Investigation Bureau has launched an investigation into the incident. Rather than pinpoint who was to blame, the bureau would look into how safety for these small planes could be improved.
The police are investigating.
A similar microlight incident took place in 2000 when it crash-landed in a field near Ta' Qali due to an unusual atmospheric condition which downed the plane. The plane crashed into a rubble wall and the two people on board were injured. More recently, in June 2004, the pilot of another microlight made a precautionary emergency landing on a stretch of unsurfaced road in Marsascala after having doubts about whether the engine was running properly.
In September 2007, pilots Adrian Vella Gera and Swiss national Melina Hunziker luckily escaped unhurt when their Tecnam P-92J Echo single engine plane crashed in a field in Luqa.
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James Graham
May 16th 2009, 19:27
Hats off the Dr Soler for a successful forced landing without power.
Strangely enough , I was watching an aircraft that looked very similar to this one flying over the St Georges Bay area on the day before the incident and did pass comment to my wife that I wouldn't like to be in it if the engine failed, as the only option to put down was probably in the sea.
Malta has challenging terrain for forced landings, there are more options over many parts of Europe, For example much of France or the UK.
M.Bezzina
May 15th 2009, 11:29
See this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdKr5IuhTIo a WW2 plane lost his engine and landed in highway in USA. now in malta its difficult to find roads which are able to let you land in such cases but at least you find a surface area in which you can land at least.
Pierre Ciantar
May 14th 2009, 21:55
Well Done Dr Soler . I guess it was bravery at its best. Take care
Louis Gatt
May 14th 2009, 16:21
Twelve points go to Dr. Soler for his excellent emergency landing in such difficult terrain at such a short notice! Not only were the 2 passengers unscratched, but the aircraft seems to have just suffered minor damage. This shows the ability and expertise of the pilot and proves how well prepared Maltese pilots are. Well done Paul and wish you many happy landings in the future.
R. Cassar
May 14th 2009, 16:20
@ John Falzon
As pilot i can safely say that contrary to polular belief, a forced landing on water or "ditching" is as the saying goes, "a last ditch attempt"...it is far more riskier and statistically it is virtually non -survivable particularly to light aircraft wtih fixed under carriage where in all likelyhood it will topple over upon contact. A forced landing on water is like driving the plane into a concrete wall; the lateral and vertical forces experienced once part of the plane such as the undercarriage clips or digs into the water are tremendous shattering the plane in the process.
There are far more variables for a pilot to consider such as swell, proximity of rescue and prospect of survivability.
The succcessful landing in the Hudson river is statistically a singular event
So pilots are trained that if there is a choice between land and water, go for land whilst considering survivabilty of the occupants and potential damage to people and/or property below.
Yes life jackets and the demonstration of their use are mandatory when flying over extended streches of water such as crossing between the maltese islands.
Well done Mr Soler
Adrian Allain
May 14th 2009, 15:48
Prosit, Dr Soler. That's a pretty substantial micro-light.
Perhaps you were shot down!!
I've heard that anything that flies over Malta....................................
Fabien Sant Fournier
May 14th 2009, 14:17
Falzon; yes a forced landing is much more preferable to ditching at sea and should be used as a last resort. Judging the height at which to roundout and flare is very difficult over the sea. Add to this the danger of nosing into waves and the sudden deceleration of the fixed undercarriage entering the water. The aircraft I fly(not microlights) has a best glide speed of 80mph which is quite significant if you misjudge the height and hit the water at that speed! Yes we do carry life jackets as well as life rafts for longer trips over the sea.
This was an impressive forced landing especially when considering he flew under the power lines!!
Agius Sandra
May 14th 2009, 13:49
Well Done for the emergency landing..........As ever you have showed that you have quick thinking and excellent skills in emergencies....well done again!
Patrick Borg
May 14th 2009, 13:43
You're at 1,500feet and have to take a decision to land to save your life and that of some other passenger. Remember : No power ! Engine is OUT !
(if you're in a car, you have to get out and push it !!!)
One has to chose a safe place to land. Preferably an open space.
Ditching into the water is an option ! Did you see & hear the pilots coversation of the US Air landing in The Hudson River in New York - in the middle of all those sky scrapers ? They considered returning to origin, then landing at another airport first before ditching !!
@ MARK - Flying still remains safer than driving + what does a 250Kg plane do to a dwelling if it had to go there !? I am more than sure that as long as a pilot has control of the plane on where to direct it, slamming into a building or a dwelling, is NOT an option.
M.Bezzina
May 14th 2009, 13:14
@John Falzon
Well done Dr.Soler for the safe landing I was worried when on radio I heared you reporting the problem .
Mr.Falzon I think apart from trying to save their lifes 1st, you need also to try to save the a/c as well in this case the a/c seems only to have sustained minor damages in water probably it would be destined for scrapp or for divers only!!
John Falzon
May 14th 2009, 12:33
I am curious about one thing. Would it have been a safer option all round to have landed in the sea, perhaps in a shallow area (such as close to a beach) where the plane could then be recovered ? Is a sea landing considered more risky than what actually happened ? Do pilots and passengers carry life jackets for this eventuality ? With all due respect to the pilot, did he factor in the sea landing option and if so why did he discard this in favour of a field ? After all, the sea is at "sea level" and not at 800 metres and it would have given him more glide time, plus it is not exactly hypothermically cold at this time of the year. Also at the speed a microloght travels at I imagine it would hardly have been like slamming into concrete. Are pilots perhaps trained not to attempt sea landings except as a last resort ? I am really curious - can someone please enlighten me ?
MARK MIFSUD BONNICI
May 14th 2009, 11:51
What if this plane landed on a dwelling. Being the most densely populated area in Europe should be taken into consideration when legislating pleasure flights.
Thank God the passengers got out of this incident unscathed .