Helicopter pilot makes dramatic landing

A helicopter pilot and his student walked away uninjured from an emergency landing in Cork yesterday — this pilot’s second dramatic landing in the city.

John Toal, the chief flight instructor at SkyWest Aviation’s flight school in Cork, and his student, were cruising in a Robinson helicopter at 1,700ft above Cork Harbour when they heard a shudder.

Mr Toal powered down the engine and initiated an auto-rotate landing — where the aircraft descends without power as the rotor blades continue to spin.

A spokesman for SkyWest said it is a procedure pilots practice almost every day.

“Our student pilots aren’t allowed to take a solo flight until they can perform an auto-rotate landing,” he said.

Mr Toal, who would have had just over three minutes to find a landing spot, avoided water, huge wind turbines and chemical plants to land safely in a field near Ringaskiddy just after 3pm.

Gardaí and emergency services attended as a precaution. Mechanics are due to inspect the aircraft.

In 2009, Mr Toal was at the controls of a similar helicopter which had to make an emergency landing on the 11th hole fairway of Mahon Golf Course.