Plane crash blamed on 'turbulence' from wind farm

The pilot said he encountered a "violent" gust shortly before crash landing in a nearby field

A pilot injured in a crash landing has claimed a “violent” gust which caused him to lose control of his plane may have been caused by a nearby windfarm.

The 66-year-old man crashed off the runway and into a field while attempting to land at Beverley Airfield in August.

According to an Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) report he said he believed "turbulence effects" from the windfarm may have contributed to the loss of control.

The report concluded that while "the possibility of encountering wake turbulence from the windfarm at this airfield is remote, it cannot be entirely ruled out".

The AAIB said the private pilot had reported "strong" turbulence as he approached 150ft and had taken action to keep the wings level.

As he neared the ground he encountered a further "violent" gust and despite his efforts to pull up the 1959 Piper PA-22-150 plane veered to the left and came down in a field.

The pilot told crash investigators he believed wake turbulence from the spinning blades was a contributing factor.

The nearest turbine to the runway was 1,400m away, the report said.

The pilot, who had amassed 119 hours of flying, suffered minor injuries, while the plane was destroyed.

The AAIB report said current research suggests the nearest turbine was far enough away from the runway at Beverley not to impact on planes but that the possibility could not be ruled out.

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