Light aircraft avoided crash over Usk, inquiry finds
Two aircraft came close to crashing over Monmouthshire last November because their pilots failed to see each other, an investigation has found.
The pilot of an Ikarus C42 microlight was flying at around 3,000ft when a Cessna Titan appeared on a collision course with his plane near Usk.
The pilot said he had no time to react and the Titan passed underneath him.
A UK Airprox Board inquiry concluded the crash risk was of the most serious level.
The microlight pilot, who had been flying from Swansea to Shobdon in Herefordshire on November 23, 2013, later reported the incident, describing the risk of collision as "very high".
The Cessna pilot said he was not even aware of what had happened and had been flying into the sun.
They also looked at whether a radar controller at Cardiff Airport had missed an opportunity to issue a radio warning before the incident.
At the time of the incident, the aircraft were outside controlled airspace, flying on Visual Flight Rules (VFR) where pilots are required to "see and avoid" each other.
The microlight pilot said he had been glancing at a map and a GPS device shortly before the incident.