G-BWDF - PZL 104 Wilga 35A - UK Accident 6th May 2010

Today, the 6th May 2010 is General Election day in the UK - people have been voting since 7am this morning.

At about 8am reports came in of a light aircraft plane crash at the airfield at Hinton in the Hedges. On board was Nigel Farage a parliamentary candidate ( for the UKIP party ) and a pilot.

The wreck of Wilga G-BWDF - Photo courtesy Sky News

The crashed aircraft is a PZL 104 Wilga 35A G-BWDF. There are reports that the aircraft was trailing a towing banner promoting the UKIP party and that this might have become caught in the rudder of the aircraft. Both the pilot and Mr Farage have been taken to hospital for treatment. Photos from the accident site show the aircraft inverted with major damage to the cockpit area.

G-BWDF c/n 21950955 is one of the last Wilga to have been built having first flown in July 1995 at the PZL Okecie factory in Warsaw Poland. When it was deliverd in was painted in a two tone green camoflague c/s and was based at White Waltham airfield to the West of London.  For several years it sat parked at White Waltham as the grass grew aound it.

External Link to photo of G-BWDF in its original green colours


By late 1999 it was dismantled and removed from White Waltham by lorry. It underwent a rebuild at Rushett Farm airstrip near Chessington and was back in the air by 2003 ( with just 22 flight hours in total ). In 2004 it was seen at Husbands Bosworth airfield acting as a glider tug.

By 2006 it was operating from the airfield at Dunsfold still painted green but by 2008 it had been repainted dark blue. In recent years the aircraft has been operated by "Sky Banners". The aircraft had flown 239 flight hours by 31.12.2008.

Let's hope the pilot and the passenger make a full recovery.


More info here via the Sky News website news story

More info here via the BBC News website news story


Steve

Kingston Deverill - The Park 6.12.09

The Bath, Wiltshire and North Dorset Gliding Club operate several Polish built SZD gliders at "The Park" airfield at Kingston Deverill.

Seen on 6.12.09 were


G-CKAN SZD 50-3 Puchacz c/n B-2106 - this Puchacz was built in 1997 and originally sold to The Netherlands as PH-1104. In June 1997 it suffered a major accident and it returned to SZD at Bielsko-Biala for an investigation and rebuild. It was then sold to the UK and became BGA 4938 in December 2001 and G-CKAN in November 2007.




G-DFLL SZD 9 Bis Bocian 1D - this beautiful red training glider was built in 1965 at SZD Krosno with c/n F-877. It was sold to Finland as OH-KBP and later OH-336. In 1988 it arrived in the UK and became BGA 3345 and in September 2009 became G-DFLL.


G-DCEB - the Club also operate this SZD 9 Bis Bocian 1E - the 1E version has a spring loaded nose wheel. G-DCEB is c/n P-433 was built in 1967 at SZD Jezow. It was exported to the UK and became BGA 1474 and then G-DCEB in February 2008.

Hanging on the wall behind you can see another Bocian BGA 4090 which is now withdrawn from use.



Steve