Pilot breaches lockdown and flies to Anglesey RAF base 'to go to beach'
The RAF confirmed the civilian pilot landed at RAF Valley on a closed airfield without permission.
A civilian pilot landed without permission on a closed RAF airfield in North Wales “because he wanted to go to the beach”.
The 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.
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.
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.
RAF Valley is home to No 4 Flying Training School, which is responsible for training fighter jet pilots and aircrew involved in maritime operations.
Workers were said to be carrying out repairs and maintenance on the airfield at the time of the incident, and no bird control unit was in place.
