It took just one gust of wind to trigger a full-scale emergency at Fife Airport on Wednesday.
As Lawrie McWilliams came in to land his microlight aircraft at the runway near Glenrothes, the plane was blown to the left and ditched in the grass, setting off a chain of events that involved six fire appliances being deployed, a road closure and flying lessons at the airfield cancelled for the rest of the afternoon.
Thankfully both Mr McWilliams (55) and his 76-year-old passenger, Mick Hutchinson, walked away unscathed from the incident, which happened at around 1.45pm and just 24 hours after a man in his 40s was killed while taking off at the Scottish Gliding Centre near Kinross.
The men had taken off from Husthwaite in the morning and stopped for a break at East Fortune before heading towards Fife Airport. The drama started when Mr McWilliams tried to land the aircraft.
Mr Hutchinson described how the plane dropped about 20 feet on to the grass at the side of the runway.
Moments later, airport staff rushed to the microlight and the emergency services were called.
Since learning to fly eight years ago Mr Hutchinson, from Otley, has been involved in three crashes to date twice as a passenger and once as a pilot.
”I always wanted to fly and this was the chance, but I’m starting to wonder if I’ve made the right decision,” he said.
Mr McWilliams, who has been flying for four years and lives in Harrogate, admitted the incident was caused by pilot error and praised the reaction of staff at the airport.
He estimated that his Ikarus C42 had sustained about £15,000 worth of damage and said it would have to be sent to Germany for repairs.
The plane lost a front wheel and its propeller was bent on impact with the grass.
A member of staff at the fire service control centre said they had been prepared to tackle the worst case scenario, adding: ”We didn’t really know what we were dealing with. We didn’t know if it was going to be a fire or worse.
“With aircraft, you just don’t know what you’re going to.”
An ambulance was also sent to the scene and both occupants of the plane were checked over, but they did not need any treatment.
The men said they planned to catch a train to York and head home.