Pilot Was Buzzed On Short Final

This probably won't help the process of getting a runway and hangar on private property in Maesybont, Carmarthenshire, Wales. Tony Ware was landing his Bolkow BO-207 when he got a bee in his bonnet -- or more appropriately, a wasp down his shirt.

Here's how the Department of Transport described what happened:

"The aircraft was on short final approach to the runway when the pilot was reportedly stung on the right side of his abdomen by a wasp which had made its way under the loosely fitting T-shirt that he was wearing. He touched down late as a result of struggling to dislodge the insect. He then attempted a go-around, but failed to clear the hedge at the far end of the runway.

"The undercarriage struck the hedge," the report continued, "flipping the aircraft onto its back in the adjacent field. The pilot was unhurt and managed to exit the aircraft via the left-hand side window, which had shattered in the impact."

Ware walked away from the accident unhurt and was a bit peeved at the attention.

"If you had that much attention every time a car crashed then the newspapers would be full of accident reports," he said, quoted in the Wales Western Mail.

Ware is in the process of trying to get a permit for the construction of an airstrip and a hangar on the property where his aircraft went down.

FMI: www.aaib.dft.gov.uk