Pilot didn't know he'd lost half a wing

Found on The Mirror on Sunday, 21 August 2005
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A Pilot flew this plane for two hours without realising half the wing had vanished.

And his passengers - two flight engineers on their way to repair a Boeing 767 - also failed to spot it had been ripped off, taking a fuel tank with it.

Their Cessna 210's wing was split in two when it hit a tree on take-off from an airstrip near Shannon in Ireland.

He only realised what had happened when he spotted his back-up fuel tank gauge was on empty as he flew over the Channel on the way to Portugal. He put out a Mayday call and landed at Jersey airport.

A spokesman there said last night: "We were amazed it managed to fly as long as it had. It was in a real state. The pilot was the most shocked as he had not realised the extent of the damage while he was flying."

I was under the impression that someone would notice such a damage before the plane took off. Obviously, I was wrong.