A pilot had to be directed back to Newcastle Airport after mistaking the busy A1 dual carriageway for the runway.

The serious incident happened during the 72-year-old pilot’s first solo night training flight after taking off from Newcastle Airport shortly after 7.45pm on January 9 this year.

According to a report into the mishap, the pilot ‘misidentified’ the road lights on the nearby A1 dual carriageway for runway lights and drifted south of the airport.

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While he tried to work out where the runway lights were the pilot inadvertently allowed the 48-year-old plane , a light aircraft called a Reims Cessna F172M, to descend to just 300ft above ground level.

The report, published by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch which classified it as a serious incident, recalled how the pilot began to climb again once he realised, he was lower than intended.

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Air traffic controllers at Newcastle Airport assisted him to regain contact with the runway where he landed a short time later.

Despite the incident the pilot’s instructor cleared him to continue with his night flight training following a ‘long’ debrief.

No one was injured in the incident.

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