Pilot recounts crash terror

1:30pm Friday 4th July 2008

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A PILOT who crashed his light aircraft into a lake in Bradford on Avon has spoken to the Wiltshire Times about the terrifying 100mph ordeal.

Jerzy Chudzyicki, 59, from South Ruislip, crashed his Piper light aircraft through a hedge and into a lake at the Rushy Lane Fisheries near Bradford Leigh, Bradford on Avon, at about 7pm on June 25.

The impact speed is estimated to be around 100mph.

Mr Chudzyicki said: "As I was approaching Bath I started getting engine vibrations which hadn't happened before. I realised there was a problem."

As a result he put in a mayday call to Bristol air traffic control and shut down his engine to prevent an engine fire on landing.

He tilted the nose of the craft and attempted to make a safe landing.

Mr Chudzyicki, who owns a car crash repair garage, said: "I was trying to get into a field but because of my height and airspeed I wasn't able to reach the field and flew over it. I knew I was going to go into the hedge.

"I feel very fortunate that there was a lake there. It was a total surprise to me. The first thing I saw was an expanse of water and ducks either side and then I 'pancaked' into the water which absorbed much of the impact."

Miraculously, Mr Chudzyicki, escaped unharmed, except for two small bruises.

His laptop and mobile phone, however, did not survive the impact.

While waiting for emergency crews to attend Mr Chudzyicki was forced to sit on top of the wreckage, too weak and shocked to move, despite only being submerged in five-foot of water.

Fire crews from Bradford, Trowbridge and Cooper Avon factory in Melksham were called to the scene.

The pilot was taken to Trowbridge Hospital's minor injury unit for a check-up, following which staff organised him a train home and took him to Tesco supermarket to buy warm, dry clothes.

Mr Chudzyicki has experienced many crashes during his time involved in rally car racing, but this is the first time since he started flying nearly ten years ago that he has ever been involved in a plane crash.

He said: "I was actually doing a test flight for the engine at the time. I was airborne nearly one hour and 26 minutes when the problem occurred.

"I don't know why it happened. I'm totally puzzled. It will be up to the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) to get to the bottom of the issue."

The AAIB, from the Department for Transport. has confirmed it had issued forms requesting information from Mr Chudzyicki as procedure, to follow up on the incident.

Any further investigation will be decided by the AAIB, depending on the information provided in the report.

Mr Chudzyicki also offered his thanks to the fisherman who he described as 'a godsend' for calling the emergency services and his wife Amelia, to let her know that everything was okay.

"Within a minute she was notified because a kind fisherman phoned her for me. She was shaken and worried and wanted to come out," he said.