– Only the skill, vast experience and reflexes of this pilot prevented a tragedy – says Renata Kostkiewicz, director of the Szczecin-Dąbie Aeroclub, about the dangerous situation at the landing site in Borne Sulinowo. When the biplane was taking off, a helicopter began to maneuver on its runway. The machines almost collided in mid-air.
The incident took place on Friday in Borne Sulinowo (West Pomeranian Voivodeship), where the International Military Vehicle Rally was held on 154-18 August. The event was accompanied by shows at the airport.
A recording of the dangerous incident was published on social media by Ewelina Tabaka. The film shows that the helicopter and the AN-2 plane almost collided in mid-air. “It was close,” the woman wrote. We managed to reach her.
– There were helicopters in a row. They were taking off and stopped on the runway. In the meantime, two biplanes were using the runway. At one point, both of these machines wanted to take off into the sky. It looked like there was no communication between them – he describes in an interview with tvn24.pl.
The footage shows the AN-2 pilot raising and tilting the plane to the left. The helicopter pilot also makes a downward movement, probably too late. They pass each other without any collision.
As the author of the recording says, everything happened in front of about a hundred people, who admired the machines from a distance of about 20 meters. “You could practically walk up to these machines. There was only tape separating everything,” she recalls. A little further away were food stalls and tents selling tickets for the flights.
Read also: Borne Sulinowo – the town-matryoshka
“Without checking, it started to change”
The director of the Szczecin-Dąbie Aeroclub, Renata Kostkiewicz, also witnessed the incident. As she reports, the pilot of the plane reported take-off, but the helicopter stopped in the wrong place, so he was told to move. – The pilot of this helicopter simply started moving without checking and reporting – she explains.
Kostkiewicz compares it to cutting someone off. As she explains, the Antonov was in the take-off procedure, already above the ground, when the helicopter moved backwards. – Only the skill, vast experience and reflexes of this pilot prevented a tragedy – assesses the director of the Szczecin-Dąbie Aeroclub.
A second video of the incident has also appeared online. It was posted by, among others, pilot Piotr Czuban. “A few days ago, a dozen or so people could have died in Borne Sulinowo. It could have been you,” he wrote on the X portal.
A report from a hang glider pilot
Michał Ignas, a hang glider pilot, also witnessed the incident. – I saw it from above. The Antonov had already lifted off the ground and was starting to climb, at that moment the helicopter flew in front of it. To avoid a collision, the Antonov pilot had to make a sharp left turn. It was not visible from above, but I assume that the wing was really close to the ground – he says.
As he adds, he heard only the Antonov pilot's announcement on the radio. The helicopter pilot did not signal his intention to take off. – The Antonov pilot, who occupied the runway and performed the take-off procedure, reported it on the radio, at that moment no one had the right to enter the runway until it was free – explains the motor glider pilot.
In the context of the helicopter pilot, he speaks of a lack of professionalism and “observance of any safety rules that apply in aviation”. – Every pilot who flew here complied with the procedures. There were no problems with communication, with observing safety rules. A random pilot who arrived by helicopter caused a lot of confusion and created a huge threat – Ignas assesses. He adds that the helicopter did not stay at the landing site for long. It landed for a moment, probably interested in the rally that was taking place in Borne Sulinowo, and then flew away.
Michał Ignas, asked if the tragedy happened in seconds, replied: – No, it was a fraction of a second.
And once again he appreciates the skills and reflexes of the Antonov pilot. – Only thanks to that there was no accident here – he notes.
Helicopter pilot “turned rogue and fled”
According to our interlocutors, after the dangerous incident the two-person helicopter crew flew away.
Wiesław Filosek, president of the Rzeczpospolita Aeroclub in Borne Sulinowo, told us that the pilot came from German and had problems communicating. – In addition, he did not have the radio on. He was the one who “ragged”, and after the incident he chickened out and ran away, without making contact – Filosek assessed sharply.
But he assesses the situation as “a slight threat”. – There was no incident, because an incident is when something happens – he says. He adds that an inspector from the Civil Aviation Authority was at the scene of the incident, and he has all the information about the incident. On Sunday, we were unable to contact the Civil Aviation Authority.
The State Commission on Aircraft Accident Investigation has not yet been informed about the incident.
Main image source: Ewelina Tabaka