Plane hits cow on emergency landing

updated 8:23 p.m. ET Dec. 17, 2008

LONDON - The pilot of a vintage biplane says he ran into an unusual hazard while making an emergency landing — a cow.

Rob Wotton says he was trying to land his World War II-era Tiger Moth after the engine stalled just after takeoff southwest of London on Sept. 14. He was about to touch down in a field when the animal wandered into his way.

An onboard video camera —the footage of which has been posted on YouTube — shows the brown-and-white cow being knocked to the ground by the plane's lower left wing. The two-seater was damaged but landed safely.

"I had to put the aircraft down straight away and spotted a likely field where I could see there were cows. They were all on my right hand side except one on my left. I narrowly missed a fence and touched down and then the silly cow ran across to join her mates on the other side of the field," Wotton was quoted as saying in the Telegraph newspaper.

"I clipped her and she went rolling away but seemed unhurt and carried on grazing. The aircraft was very slightly damaged."

Wotton and his passenger were also unhurt.

Wotton says he might paint a cow on the plane to mark the event. "I have to say it is the first cow I have ever hit in 22 years' flying."

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