Britain’s Prince William forced a Royal Air Force plane to be grounded for days after he flicked the wrong switch and "overcooked" the engine, a newspaper reported Tuesday.
The incident allegedly happened during the prince’s 12-week training with the air force last year. Prince William, 26, received his pilot’s wings after the training in April 2008. Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper reported on the prince’s apparent mistake after speaking to Joe Watt, a retired air force engineering officer who carried out the checks on the Tucano T1 aircraft after the incident. “He flicked the wrong switch on shutdown and overcooked the turbo,” Watt told the paper. “I think he switched it back on. “The engine tries to start again when it is stopping. He’s not the only one. We’ve had two or three. Better pilots than him have done it.” The maximum temperature reached by the Tucano’s exhaust fumes is normally 650 degrees Celsius (1,202 degrees Fahrenheit). But in the prince’s case, they exceeded 700 degrees Celsius (1,292 degrees Fahrenheit), the paper said.
Don’t Miss
Prince Harry to train as pilot
Watt told CNN he was unable to comment further. Buckingham Palace said no damage was done to an aircraft while Prince William trained. The Tucano T1 was one of three aircraft the prince learned to fly while with the air force. He also trained on a Grob 115E light aircraft and a Squirrel helicopter. William is also an officer in the Royal Navy and a lieutenant in the British Army. He is currently training to become an air force search-and-rescue pilot, a regime that will last 18 to 20 months.
