Glider rescued after crashing landing in trees in Sussex



A glider pilot has had a lucky escape after crashing into trees on the South Downs.


Credit: Eddie Mitchell
HM Coastguard’s Aeronautical Rescue Coordination Centre received a call from West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service just after 13:15 yesterday (2 February), requesting assistance after a glider crashed and became stuck, approximately 50ft up in a tree, at Chanctonbury Ring, on the South Downs, Sussex. 

The HM Coastguard search and rescue helicopter from Lee on Solent, West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, Sussex Police, South East Ambulance Service (SECAmb) and their Hazardous Area Response Team were all sent.

The gilder was in such a precarious position, in a thick line of trees, that the decision was made to winch the man to safety. He was then passed into the care of the ambulance service to be checked over.

Credit Eddie Mitchell
HM Coastguard Helicopter Pilot, Jason Davies, said: ‘This was an unusual job, when we first arrived we were unsure, due to the precarious position of the glider, if we were going to be able to assist. There was a real possibility that the rotor wash of the helicopter could dislodge the glider and its pilot from the tree. Fortunately, the Fire Service and HART teams were able to secure the glider with ropes. 

'The helicopter hovered at 200ft and kept a steady and stable position over the glider to minimise the rotor wash. The winching was tricky as he had crashed into a thick tree line, on a hillside, and the winchman had to navigate himself through the trees. Thankfully we were able to rescue the man who was met by his wife before being checked over by the ambulance service.’




West Sussex Fire and Rescue Group Manger Jeremy Beard said: ‘West Sussex Fire and Rescue Technical Rescue team working with SECAmb’s Hazardous Area Response Team were able to set up a rope system to secure the glider in place. 

'Due to the precarious position of the glider it would have been exceptionally challenging to safely reach the pilot and rescue by line. As a result and in discussion with the Pilot and Winchman, it was decided to make an attempt to rescue from air whilst monitoring safety and stability of the glider.

‘It was an exceptionally challenging rescue for which we are very grateful for the skill, determination and courage of the coastguard helicopter crew to make the rescue and avoid the necessity of risking further emergency responders safety through a rescue by alternative means which was being planned for as a backup.’



Credit: Eddie Mitchell




Popular posts from this blog

Label your kit at the coast

Image
Kayaks. Canoes. Paddleboards. What do they all have in common? They’re quite often found on the coastline or drifting out to sea. And if we don’t know who they belong to, we can spend time searching for an owner when they’re home safe and sound. So please help us to help you. Label your kit so that if you do get separated from it, and it turns up somewhere, we can get hold of you. In recent weeks, our Coastguard Rescue Teams have found numerous items such as kayaks and canoes drifting out at sea or abandoned near the shoreline. Unfortunately, some of the items we have found have not had their owners’ contact details written on them nor been reported as missing to the Coastguard. As a result, it makes it difficult for us to find out who it belongs to and also means we can never be completely sure if someone is safe or in the worst case, in trouble at sea. This can place a huge strain on our resources especially during the busy summer period when we have to call upon our Coastgua
Read more

A short history of HM Coastguard

Image
Today HM Coastguard is a world leader in maritime search and rescue. Looking back almost 200 years, the goods, which now travel by road, were carried by hundreds of small ships. Year in year out dozens of ships and hundreds of lives were lost within sight of the coast. Public shock and dismay at the tragedies drove forward the creation of national life saving organisations. Though it’s beginnings lie in those decades HM Coastguard originated not to meet the dangers of the seas but to combat a threat to the country’s economy and security – smuggling. As soon as medieval taxes were charged on imports and exports, people began smuggling. By 1743 th e estimate was that half the tea drunk in Britain was illegally imported and shows that smuggling was highly profitable. Smugglers have often been romanticised but the reality was brutal. Local people lived in fear, with violent reprisals on informers and the murder of revenue officers, while corruption enabled smugglers to evade harsh p
Read more

BOSCASTLE FLOODS: TEN YEARS ON

Image
Boscastle Flooding 16 th August 2004 The storms of Monday 16 August 2004 saw three weeks worth of rain fall in one day. The resulting water began to be funnelled down the valleys surrounding Boscastle and soon the steep roads became rivers. By the time that the water reached the picturesque village, it had picked up enough momentum to become a raging torrent, sweeping into buildings, washing cars away and felling huge trees. Graham King runs the Witches Museum in Boscastle and was also the station officer for the Boscastle Coastguard Rescue Team at the time of the floods: “ My museum is situated next to the harbour near the river ,” says Graham “ and I can see the coastguard equipment store from there. Initially I was concerned that the vehicle and equipment were going to become stranded but I soon began to realise how quickly the situation was deteriorating and called Falmouth Coastguard ” From that point on the villagers and tourists stranded in flood waters were he
Read more