This Pilot Managed To Safely Land A Plane After His Fake Arm Fell Off

Flybe immediately launched a detailed internal investigation.

By
Richard James
by Richard James

BuzzFeed News Reporter, UK

An accident report has revealed that a pilot lost control of a Flybe flight from Birmingham to Belfast in February when his fake arm became detached.

David Moir / Reuters / Not actual plane involved

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) report found that the 46-year-old pilot had attached his prosthetic left arm to the equipment used to fly the plane, but it became detached shortly before landing, “depriving him of control of the aircraft”, the Press Association said.

Having already disconnected the autopilot, the unnamed captain decided not to hand over control to his co-pilot due to the gusty conditions and lack of time, so attempted land the plane using just his right arm.

The Dash 8 aircraft, which was carrying 47 passengers, landed heavily and bounced after touching down, but no one was hurt and the plane was undamaged.

Bloomberg via Getty / Not actual plane involved

According to the AAIB report, the pilot says he will be more cautious about checking his arm was properly attached in the future.

The senior captain referred to in this report is one of Flybe's most experienced and trusted pilots. The airline confirms that at no time was the safety of its passengers or crew compromised in any way, nor was the aircraft damaged.Following the incident, Flybe immediately undertook a detailed internal investigation from which it determined a series of additional fail-safe safety checks. These were rigorously tested and instigated immediately to ensure that this type of incident could not happen again.
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