According to a statement from Luxembourg’s aviation federation (FAL) two pilots encountered a dangerous situation during an expedition from Luxembourg to Georgia. The ultralight aircraft piloted by a Luxembourgish-Belgian crew was flying from Batumi, Georgia, to Ordu-Giresun in Turkey when its engine suddenly failed at an altitude of 2,000 metres.
A planned emergency landing at an airport was no longer possible. The experienced pilot therefore decided to make an emergency landing on the water, around 6.4km off the Turkish coast. The manoeuvre with the small WT-9 aircraft was successful, and neither of the two pilots, aged 55 and 69, was injured. They even had enough time to retrieve their luggage from the aircraft before being rescued by the coast guard, the statement added.
At present, nothing can yet be said about the cause of the engine failure, with an investigation taking place.
