Pilot survives crash in home-made Nazi plane
A former RAF pilot is “lucky to be alive” after he crashed his replica Second World War Luftwaffe plane in a field, having mistaken tractor lines for a runway. Barry Conway, 80, from Carterton, Wilts, suffered cracked vertebrae but was otherwise unharmed. He spent 10 years building his half-scale Focke-wulf 190 in his garage. Dudley Pattison, a friend and fellow member of the Light Aircraft Association, said of the plane: “His wife calls it Dignitas.”
WHEN former RAF Phantom pilot Barry Conway’s wife said that one of his home-made planes should be called “Dignitas”, he took it as a joke.
He had no idea that a single error in one of his prized creations would almost cost him his life.
With not a single aviation accident in his 60 years of flying, Mr Conway, from Carterton, Wilts, took to the skies on Sunday afternoon in his hand-built replica German Second World War Luftwaffe fighter plane.
But disaster struck when the 80-year-old began his descent.
Aiming to guide the Focke-wulf FW 190 towards a local airstrip, around 30 miles from his home, he mistook tractor markings in a crop field for a runway, causing the aircraft to flip on landing.
His friend Dudley Pattison, a fellow member of the Light Aircraft Association, said the pilot was “very lucky” to be alive after he was rescued by firefighters and taken to Great Western Hospital with a cracked vertebrae in his neck and back.
Mr Pattison, who has known Mr Conway for 25 years, said: “The ruts made by the tractor wheels made the plane flip over onto its back.
“The sun was in his eyes, probably.
He can’t understand how he made the mistake. He’s a very experienced pilot.”
Mr Pattison added: “He is very lucky to be with us. He could have easily broken his neck and there was always a concern about the fuel igniting.”
The duo paired up in 2000 to win the 100-mile Schneider Trophy Air Race, known for incredible speeds and intricate manoeuvring.
It took Mr Conway, who has also worked as a commercial pilot, 10 years to build his beloved replica Focke-wulf aircraft in a cramped garage at home, said Mr Pattison, 76.
He finished the single-seat, singleengine half-scale German fighter plane at the turn of the century and had 200 hours under his belt when he crashed.
The aircraft was able to cruise at 120 knots and was built from American plans.
Mr Conway has built a second aircraft, which he designed himself and has four jets. He had planned to take it to Wales this week for test runs but had to cancel the trip after his accident.
“He designed and built it himself in a single garage at home. It was really cramped. He’s a very very clever man,” Mr Pattison said, adding: “His wife calls it Dignitas.”
Meanwhile, the damaged Fockewulf has been removed from the field and taken to a hangar awaiting inspection
‘The sun was in his eyes, probably, and he can’t understand how he made the mistake. He’s a very experienced pilot. He is very lucky to be with us’
but Mr Pattison believes it’s a write-off.
“Somebody will buy the wreckage and probably rebuild it but it’s not rebuildable commercially. It’s a bit tough but the main thing is that he got out of it alive,” Mr Pattison told The
Daily Telegraph.
He added that Mr Conway was conscious and chatting as firefighters cut him from the cockpit and is expected to be released from hospital in the next two to three days.
Mr Pattison said: “His two sons have been in to see him. He is in good spirits, but will certainly be in a neck brace for a while.”
Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue
Service said crew members used hydraulic cutting equipment to cut the pilot free.
They were on the site for just over an hour using foam to stem the flow of the aviation fuel.
An Air Accidents Investigation Branch spokesman said it will be looking into the crash.