Elderly pilot ‘was lucky to survive accident’

AN elderly pilot narrowly escaped death after his light aircraft crashed into electricity power lines in Co Donegal last April while conducting unapproved aerobatic manoeuvres.

An official report into the accident claims that it was “highly fortuitous” that there were no fatalities after the two-seater plane hit 10,000-volt electricity cables just nine metres above the ground near Quigley’s Point, Co Donegal.

It blamed poor judgement on the pilot’s part as a significant factor in the cause of the accident as there was no evidence of technical malfunction or poor weather conditions.