Sir Elton John Gets Fright of His Life As Private Jet Suffers Malfunction
11:54 GMT 23.02.2022 (Updated: 15:18 GMT 28.05.2023)
© Sputnik / Valery Melnikov
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The incident occurred earlier this week as Britain was rocked by Storm Franklin, which packed gales as strong as 87 miles per hour. The storm and the floods it brought caused widespread damage - trees uprooted, roads blocked and travel chaos. There have been no injuries or casualties associated with the weather event.
Sir Elton John got the fright of his life after his $90 million private jet suffered a hydraulic failure and was forced to make an emergency landing at Farnborough Private Airport in the English county of Hampshire. According to British daily newspaper, The Sun, which cited anonymous sources, the incident occurred an hour after take-off.
As though this were not enough to terrify the musician and his entourage, the pilot couldn’t land the plane because of Storm Franklin that was raging in the United Kingdom.
"The plane was being buffeted and couldn’t make it. The aircraft’s nose was far too vertical. The plane was descending and was halfway along the runway when it gave up trying to hit the tarmac. It soared back in the air," Philip Thomson, a plumber who was working at the airport and who witnessed the whole events, told The Sun.
Ambulance crews, firefighters from six stations as well as the airport’s own incident team raced to the runway. According to Thomson, news that the musician was in trouble quickly spread and soon all employees were watching with bated breath as the pilot tried to land the twin-jet Bombardier. The first attempt was unsuccessful and the plane went up into the air again.
"As the plane came around again for a second attempt to land, the storm was doing its worst. The airport’s windsock was horizontal and the aircraft was being rocked from side to side by the wind. The pilot made a valiant attempt to get down with the jet ‘crabbing’ into the storm. But it didn’t make it and had to head back upwards," said Thomson, adding that it was "horrible" to witness those events.
The pilot managed to land the plane on the third attempt. Despite the stress, Sir Elton John boarded another plane and went to the United States in time for his show.
The 74-year-old is now on his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, which the musician announced in 2018, but was forced to put on ice because of the coronavirus pandemic. Last month he tested positive for COVID-19, but quickly recovered from the disease. The singer has since played several shows in the United States.
The 74-year-old is now on his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, which the musician announced in 2018, but was forced to put on ice because of the coronavirus pandemic. Last month he tested positive for COVID-19, but quickly recovered from the disease. The singer has since played several shows in the United States.
