A student pilot mistook State Highway 2 for the Tauranga runway strip as he prepared to land on Friday.
Police received reports of a low flying aircraft which looked like it was about to land on Hewletts Road in the morning.
A student pilot mistook Hewletts Road for the Tauranga Airport runway on Friday. File photo.
Hamilton based CTC Aviation Training, the organisation the student was training with, says he had been flying low, but not low enough to pose any danger.
Chief executive Ian Calvert says the student pilot mistook the SH2/Hewletts Road for the runway because they are both orientated the same way.
He says when the student realised it was not the runaway he circled again and repositioned himself over the Tauranga Airport runway.
"These things happen when training."
4 comments
idiot
Posted on 23-03-2013 11:03 | By sharon69nz
how the heck can someone mistake a very busy major road for a runway. i am pretty sure hamilton airport don't allow cars to be on a runway so could it be possible to be that confused. hope they did a drugs test on him
Hey Shaz
Posted on 23-03-2013 12:58 | By Mr bay
Think you need to read the story again, it was Tauranga airport not Hamilton. Still you have a good point would the cars and trucks not give it away that it wasn't the runway.
WTF
Posted on 23-03-2013 14:48 | By grantme2
I thought the traffic lights could have been a giveaway!
Blind??
Posted on 26-03-2013 12:46 | By penguin
Next we could have "confused" drivers and vehicles on the runway! Having flown myself (albeit accompanied), I find it amazing that the student pilot did not appear to notice the difference between a highway and its lane markings, traffic lights and vehicles etc and a wide runway with a large grass area on both sides. Hope he does not pass until he learns the difference!
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