http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/2008/05/10/pani...lane-89520-20412953/

Panicking passenger jumps out of plane
By Aidan Mcgurran 10/05/2008
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A terrified aircraft passenger leapt from a plane as it prepared to crash land with engine failure.

The unnamed man became gripped with panic when the two-seater Tiger Moth lost power at 1,000ft.

As the pilot made a 40mph emergency approach to land at a farm the passenger unstrapped his safety belt, climbed on to the wing and jumped out.

The 65-year-old aircraft crashed into a hay bale. The pilot, who was uninjured, found his passenger lying in agony 50 metres away with a broken leg.

A report by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch said the passenger admitted becoming "panicky". It said: "He decided to jump because he was concerned that if the aircraft hit a hay bale the engine would be pushed into the cockpit, causing him serious injury." The passenger worked for flight operators Delta Aviation.

Delta boss Matthew Byatt said: "I've no idea what was going through his head. He felt it was the right thing to do at the time."

The incident took place in September as the £50,000 aircraft landed near Redhill, Surrey, on a flight from Essex.

Investigators found that in two earlier flights in the plane the same passenger closed the throttle "without warning".

Bizarrely, he said he had done it because he wanted to give pilots the "opportunity to practise unplanned forced landing procedures". He denied closing the throttle on the latest occasion.

Holey Cow, every airport used to have a resident looney that would show up every once in a while to tell everyone how to do anything connected to an airplane, but this guy takes the cake for me!

I find it amazing that he's on record for closing the throttle at least twice! Once would have been enough, and if it were me we'd have had a good long chat at the end of the runway.... However, after all of that I'm glad he isn't more badly injured.

Nut jobs are everywhere. Damned nice airplane, too. What a shame.

I got a great ride in one in Cairns, Australia. Great ride!