Pilot praised for landing after engine fails
29 July 2010, 07:22
By Yusuf Moolla
A Durban pilot has been commended after safely landing his plane, which had developed engine problems, on New Beach on Wednesday night.
Witnesses, who gathered around the slightly damaged plane, said it had appeared to be in difficulty when flying past uShaka Marine World.
"We heard a noise and knew that the engine had failed," said Juanita Gouws.
"The plane began to descend, but the pilot managed to land in the sand."
Pilot Mohammed Jameel Saleem, who lives on the beachfront, struck a volleyball pole, damaging the Piper Cherokee's left wing and causing the plane to spin.
The qualified commercial pilot, accompanied by a friend, had taken off from Virginia Airport.
Netcare911 spokesman Jeff Wicks said paramedics arrived to find that Saleem and his passenger had emerged relatively unscathed.
Saleem's friend received minor injuries.
Lieutenant-Colonel Vincent Mdunge said the incident would be investigated by police and the Civil Aviation Authority.
Saleem's mother, Naseema, said her son had been returning to Virginia Airport when the engine developed a problem.
"We were relieved when he told us that he was unharmed."
She was proud that Saleem, 22, an "experienced and confident pilot", had taken control of the situation and landed safely.
Hashim Abbas, who watched from his nearby flat, said he was amazed at the pilot's ability.
"We could see that the plane was in difficulty, but the pilot guided the plane down calmly."
Abbas said that the crack of the wing hitting the pole could be heard from a distance.
Saleem, who hugged and shared a smile with his mother, would not comment on the incident until he had spoken to Civil Aviation Authority inspectors.
The incident comes a few days after a plane crash claimed the lives of two people.
Jason Richards, a pupil at St Charles College in Pietermaritzburg, and his father Wesley, 47, died when their plane hit a cellphone tower and crashed near Wartburg on Saturday.
A Durban pilot has been commended after safely landing his plane, which had developed engine problems, on New Beach on Wednesday night.
Witnesses, who gathered around the slightly damaged plane, said it had appeared to be in difficulty when flying past uShaka Marine World.
"We heard a noise and knew that the engine had failed," said Juanita Gouws.
"The plane began to descend, but the pilot managed to land in the sand."
Pilot Mohammed Jameel Saleem, who lives on the beachfront, struck a volleyball pole, damaging the Piper Cherokee's left wing and causing the plane to spin.
The qualified commercial pilot, accompanied by a friend, had taken off from Virginia Airport.
Netcare911 spokesman Jeff Wicks said paramedics arrived to find that Saleem and his passenger had emerged relatively unscathed.
Saleem's friend received minor injuries.
Lieutenant-Colonel Vincent Mdunge said the incident would be investigated by police and the Civil Aviation Authority.
Saleem's mother, Naseema, said her son had been returning to Virginia Airport when the engine developed a problem.
"We were relieved when he told us that he was unharmed."
She was proud that Saleem, 22, an "experienced and confident pilot", had taken control of the situation and landed safely.
Hashim Abbas, who watched from his nearby flat, said he was amazed at the pilot's ability.
"We could see that the plane was in difficulty, but the pilot guided the plane down calmly."
Abbas said that the crack of the wing hitting the pole could be heard from a distance.
Saleem, who hugged and shared a smile with his mother, would not comment on the incident until he had spoken to Civil Aviation Authority inspectors.
The incident comes a few days after a plane crash claimed the lives of two people.
Jason Richards, a pupil at St Charles College in Pietermaritzburg, and his father Wesley, 47, died when their plane hit a cellphone tower and crashed near Wartburg on Saturday.
- This article was originally published on page 1 of The Mercury on July 29, 2010
