Pilot escapes injury after plane leaves Hólmsheiði runway

A pilot was unhurt after his aircraft ran off a grass runway at Hólmsheiði on Friday and stopped just beyond its end, mbl.is reported. The plane was damaged.

The pilot was alone on board. The Transportation Accident Investigation Board is investigating the incident, and the pilot has already given a statement. He asked not to be identified while the investigation is ongoing.

“It is obviously a really awful thing to experience. It is a lesson one hopes to learn only once in a lifetime, and preferably never,” he told mbl.is.

The pilot said events unfolded quickly and he had to make decisions in a short time. He said he was not unhappy with the decision he made. He escaped without so much as a seatbelt bruise.

Rain had fallen in the area. The pilot said the grass runway was in good condition, but wet ground affects stopping distance and had a clear impact in this case.

He flies regularly and said he has extensive experience with the aircraft, a Skyhawk. Hólmsheiði was his planned landing place, not an emergency landing. He said Reykjavik Airport was not part of the plan, adding that access for private and training aircraft has been limited in recent years and can be complicated.

The investigation board has yet to classify the incident in more detail.