A small firefighting plane ended up standing on its nose after a brake malfunction during landing on the eastern Aegean Sea island of Lesvos, reports said Thursday.
State ERT television said the pilot was uninjured after the accident involving a single-seater PZL Mielec M-18 that was returning from a patrol mission. It said the propeller plane tipped up after the brakes failed to work properly during landing.
The Polish-made light aircraft has been used by Greece’s airforce since the early 1980s, and can carry up to 2,500 litres of liquid in its tanks. It is used as a waterbomber in difficult terrain, as it can handle ground gradients of up to 60% where a heavier plane would have trouble.
