Pilot had to chase runaway aircraft

A pilot who was in a hurry to get airborne hand-started his engine by swinging the propeller with the throttle on a high setting and the ignition switch on — and was forced to chase after it as it moved across the field, hit a ditch, and burst into flames.

The 54-year-old male pilot, who had 405 hours of flying experience, had also failed to chock the aircraft. Chocks are wedges of sturdy material set against the wheels to stop accidental movement.

The upshot of the incident in Mullinahone Airfield, Co Tipperary, on July 5 was that the pilot was uninjured but the aircraft was “destroyed”.