Blackpool pilot who made emergency landing on beach was "forced to think fast"

Eddie, 37, was flying over Fleetwood at around 5.30pm last Thursday (November 16) when he suddenly experienced engine difficulties.

Staying calm, he tried to make his way back to Blackpool Airport but rapidly lost altitude and was forced to think fast.

He was just two miles from the airport in Squires Gate Lane when it dawned on him that he wasn’t going to make it.

Eddie, an experienced pilot and flight instructor, had just minutes to make a decision that he’d hoped he’d never have to consider. It was a decision which might have saved his life.

He could either try and continue to the airport – as his plane continued to descend over the resort – or bring it down with a controlled landing on the beach in South Shore.

Fortunately, Eddie’s two-seater single-engine Robin 200 aircraft still had enough power for him to steer over the rooftops and to the relative safety of the beach.

He knew the tide was out and the chilly November weather would have kept residents and visitors away from the resort’s windswept beach. And he was fast running out of time.

“It’s not something I’ve ever had to do before, but I knew it was the safest option at that point”, said Eddie, a flight instructor at High-G based at Hangar 2 at Blackpool Airport.

"We’re fortunate on the coast that we have the beach if things go wrong. We always check the times for tides, so we know if we have to make a controlled landing, we can.

"It’s not ideal, of course, but the only other option would have been to head for the airport, over buildings and roads, and that’s not a risk that we take lightly.”

Asked whether he feared for his life, Eddie said he remained calm, composed and focussed on the job at hand.

"I’ve been flying for many years so I was able to stay pretty calm and do what we’re trained to do. I fly for a living, so it wasn’t as scary as some might think.

"But it’s still not something you expect to happen. At the end of the day, you can’t predict that something will go wrong, so you have to always be prepared for these things.

"It’s a judgement call. At that time of day the beach is mostly empty. I wasn’t going to put anyone in danger. Still, it’s the first time I’ve had to do this.”

Eddie’s smooth landing on the beach, just metres from the Promenade, was praised by HM Coastguard who raced to the scene to meet him. Climbing out of the cockpit, he was greeted by police, fire crews and the Coastguard officers who breathed sighs of relief at Eddie’s safe landing.