(Image: PA)
Man wanted to go to the beach during lockdown so flew his private jet 300 miles
The civilian pilot sparked an emergency response from the Ministry of Defence guards and fire crews at an RAF base in Anglesey
by Jessica Sansome, https://www.facebook.com/jesssansomejournalist/A man who 'wanted to go to beach during lockdown' flew his private jet from London to North Wales - before landing at an RAF base.
The civilian pilot landed on a runway at RAF Valley on the island of Anglesey on Monday May 25, sparking an emergency response from Ministry of Defence (MoD) guards and fire crews, the RAF confirmed.
The pilot was believed to have flown from an airfield in Surrey as he wanted to "go to the beach", despite it being in breach of the coronavirus lockdown rules for Wales, a source told the PA news agency.
It is understood that, upon landing, he taxied his single-engine turboprop plane to the far side of the airfield, near the beach, where he was confronted by guards.
North Wales Police said they are "considering" whether there were "potential breaches" of the Covid-19 legislation.
Superintendent Richie Green, from North Wales Police, said: "We were contacted by colleagues from RAF Valley at 1.04pm on Monday 25 May, reporting that a light aircraft had made an unauthorised landing at the airbase. The pilot was dealt with by military police.
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"Whilst the incident is primarily being investigated by the RAF and Civil Aviation Authority, North Wales Police are currently considering potential breaches of the Covid legislation in Wales."
Workers were said to be carrying out repairs and maintenance on the airfield at RAF Valley at the time of the incident, and no bird control unit was in place.
After security checks were carried out, the pilot decided to take off again, despite the airfield remaining closed, the RAF said.
(Image: PA)
An RAF spokesman said: "The RAF can confirm that, on May 25, a civilian PC-12 aircraft landed on a closed runway at RAF Valley without permission.
"Whilst irregular, it was assessed that there was no threat to station personnel or the wider public. The incident has been reported to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)."
The spokesman said the pilot was not in distress.
A spokesman from the CAA confirmed that it was investigating the incident.