Bosses at Dundee Airport ”fully accept” additional safety measures outlined by air accident investigators after a student pilot crashed earlier this year.
Highlands and Islands Airport Limited (HIAL) commented on the matter in response to a report by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB).
The AAIGB were called in to investigate the incident, which took place in May and involved an 18-year-old pilot during her first solo flight.
The AAIB said the inexperienced pilot, who had just 11 hours’ flying time, failed to negotiate a runway exit and ran on to a grass surface before colliding with two taxiway designator boards and a runway light shortly.
The pilot was undergoing instructions as part of the Air Cadet Pilot Scheme and said she felt she was put under pressure by an air traffic controller to keep up her speed, ending with her arriving at the exit too fast.
The report stated: ”Although the cadet pilot was ultimately responsible for the safe operation of her aircraft, she could not, given her extremely limited experience and the unique circumstances of her first solo flight, be relied upon to deal with an unexpected instruction while landing in the same way as a more experienced pilot.”
AAIB said the airport authority, Dundee ATC and the flying training organisation concerned agreed to undertake a joint review of early solo flying at Dundee, with a view to establishing clear guidelines for supervising instructors and codes of practice for controllers.
A spokesman for HIAL said: ”Safety is our number one priority and a matter we take extremely seriously.”
He added: ”Well before the AAIB report was published, Dundee Airport carried out its own internal review, in partnership with Tayside Aviation, to examine operating procedures for such flights. We are satisfied that these procedures are now working well.”