THE paraplegic microlight pilot flying from York to Sydney had a wheel ripped off and got his foot trapped when violent winds blew him off a runway.

Dave Sykes, a member of York Flying Club, at Rufforth Airfield, has reached Timor Kupang in his record-breaking mission, which started when he took off from Rufforth on April 28.

The 43-year-old, who lost the use of his legs after a motorcycle accident in 1993, is trying to fly more than 11,600 miles to Sydney to raise money for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

He said in a blog that the first part of his latest flight from Bali to Kupang began well.

“What a stunning morning it was – blue skies, only a 10mph headwind and no turbulence,” he wrote.

“The views now were amazing, with the mountains coming all the way to the edge of the sea and looking like something from Jurassic Park.”

But then strong, gusty crosswinds blew up, and he had to fight to keep control of the craft. He managed to touch down before being briefly lifted off again by a gust.

“The wind now got hold of one side of the wing to try turn me over, but I managed to save it. And in doing so it blew me off the runway into the grass, just missing a landing light.”

He said a big hole in the grass ripped his front wheel off and trapped his feet in the pod.

“The wind was really violent now, trying to tip me over as well... Then a pick-up van came racing towards to help me. They grabbed hold of the wing.

“I got my feet out and got into the chair while there must have been 20 people holding on to stop it getting wrecked.”

He had now got some parts ordered and was waiting for them to arrive so he could continue to Australia, flying about 500 miles across open sea to reach Darwin on the next leg.

He added: “I just have two bruised feet, and a bruise on my left leg, a hurt left wrist and a cut finger. But I’m fine.”