Hero pilot steered plane away from block of flats and crashed in field to save others
Russell Abrahams suffered a shattered left knee, a fractured arm, a broken nose and dozens of cuts and bruises when his beloved Taylor Monoplane crashed shortly after take-off
A PILOT who was horrifically injured in a shocking plane crash was today hailed a hero for avoiding a block of flats and coming down in trees.
Retired Russell Abrahams - who built his own plane - told relatives he made a split-second decision to avoid a built up area as his aircraft plummeted towards the ground near Barton Aerodrome in Eccles.
His wife Janine, 66, told the : “Had he not made the decision, the consequences could have been disastrous. He’s a selfless man, always thinking about others.”
Father-of-two Mr Abrahams, from Prestwich , suffered a shattered left knee, a fractured arm, a broken nose and dozens of cuts and bruises when his Taylor Monoplane crashed just after take-off.
Janine said: “All we know is the plane didn’t climb as it should have done. Russell was left with an instant decision to make. He was heading towards some flats and bravely and selflessly he made the decision to divert and crash the plane into trees.
"He put his own life at risk in order to avoid hurting anybody else.”
Her husband, 67, told medics only to tell Janine he had fallen and hurt his leg when they called her to the hospital.
“I didn’t know anything until I got to A&E”, she said, “then one of the managers took me to one side, put an arm around me and said ‘do you know what he’s been doing today?’ I knew he had been to Barton to fly his plane. I said ‘he’s not crashed has he?’ and she said yes.
"Then I saw him and he was chatting away with all the nurses with a neck brace on. He had one shoe and one sock on and God knows where the other shoe and sock are.
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“He had this leather jacket he’s had for about 50 years, which is falling to pieces, and it was covered in blood. I told him ‘you’re not doing that again’. I think he thought he would be up and about quite quickly.
"They kept saying he was going to have tests and he was saying ‘I’ll come back tomorrow’.
“He was obviously still in trauma. If it wasn’t so serious it would be funny. He was cracking jokes and telling the nurses he likes blondes. He’s quite a character.”
He was heading towards some flats and bravely and selflessly he made the decision to divert and crash the plane into trees. He put his own life at risk in order to avoid hurting anybody else
Janine Abrahams, wife
Five hours after he was admitted to Salford Royal Hospital he suffered a major stroke, which has left him unable to speak and unable to move the right side of his body.
“He’s a strong character and a fighter. I think many people wouldn’t have survived,” Janine said.
“He’s got a long way to go. He’s receiving the most fantastic treatment at Salford Royal.
"They have been so caring and lovely. As a family we are hoping he will make a good recovery but it will be a long road ahead for him.”
Before his stroke, Russell told his family the engine seemed to be operating as normal but the plane simply didn’t climb after take-off.
“The plane he was in was in an air-worthy condition. He had all the certificates and inspections, otherwise he wouldn’t have taken it up,” said Janine.
Russell Abraham's home-made monoplane
Russell hit the headlines in 2000 when he built an aeroplane using sticky tape, bits of his wife’s iron and a Tesco shopping trolley.
His wood and fabric monoplane used bicycle brake cables to navigate and was steered by a shopping trolley wheel while it was powered by a VW Beetle engine.
The take-off and landing switch was from Janine’s old Morphy Richards steam iron.
It was set to ‘steam’ for take-off, ‘cotton’ for cruising and ‘linen’ for landing.