2 aircraft collided in mid-air over Bembridge on this day 25 years ago, yet miraculously, both Isle of Wight pilots survived.
Experienced aviators 51-year-old John Chape of Newport and 70-year-old John Pretty of Yarmouth narrowly escaped death on 8th October 2000 when their aircraft collided over Bembridge.
Chape was flying a single-engine Piper Cub that had just released another glider it had been towing. As he turned to land at Bembridge Airfield, disaster struck.
Witnesses claimed the Piper’s propeller clipped the glider’s wing, flipping it over, while the glider struck the Piper’s tail, leaving both aircraft out of control. Seconds later, the Piper crashed near Whitecliff Bay, and the glider nose-dived half a mile away, its tail jutting over a main road.
Fire crews rushed to the scenes to find wreckage scattered across fields. The Piper still had a full tank of fuel, drenching the pilot and raising fears of an explosion. Both men were freed from the wrecks and taken to hospital. Chape required emergency treatment for leg injuries, while Pretty escaped largely unscathed.
Eyewitness David Green said it appeared the 2 aircraft had followed the same flight path. He explained that the Piper’s propeller tore into the glider, flipping it, before the glider struck the Piper’s rudder. With both aircraft crippled, neither pilot had much control as they fell.
Roger Gregory of the Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service said it was astonishing anyone survived. He noted that because the planes were only a few hundred feet above the ground, the pilots had a chance – and skillfully steered away from nearby houses before crashing.
Did you live in Bembridge 25 years ago? Do you recall this dramatic collision? Let us know in the comments…
I remember reading this story when it happened.
where has the 25 yeas gone, time flies when your
having fun.