Five Jockeys Survive Mid-Air Engine Failure En Route to Glorious Goodwood
Overview
Five professional jockeys travelling to the Glorious Goodwood races had a narrow escape this morning when the aircraft they were flying in suffered an engine failure mid-flight, causing structural damage.
The incident involved a Piper PA-31 aircraft, registration N5LL, which departed Bagby Airfield at approximately 10:00am bound for Goodwood.
On board were jockeys:
- Rowan Scott
- Tom Eaves
- PJ McDonald
- Jack Garritty
- Callum Rodriguez
Engine Failure Over Uppingham
Around 10:36am, as the twin-engine aircraft flew southbound over Uppingham, the left engine reportedly made a loud bang before shutting down completely. During the failure, the propeller spinner detached, striking the aircraft’s nose and leaving visible scratches and structural damage.
Despite the mechanical failure, the pilot remained calm and executed a U-turn to return to Bagby Airfield. After approximately 40 minutes of careful flight on one engine, the aircraft landed safely at 11:18am.
No Injuries Reported
All five jockeys and the pilot escaped without injury and were able to deplane safely. It is currently unclear whether the jockeys will make alternative travel arrangements to Goodwood.
An investigation into the engine failure is expected to be carried out by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB), given the mid-air engine failure and resulting damage.
Read more from Sussex.
