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Concrete block near-miss

May 11 2007

By Paul James Chief Reporter, The Journal

A sports club boss last night said it was a miracle no-one had been hurt after a concrete block fell from an aeroplane on to a city tennis court.

The one-foot square slab, used to tie down light aircraft at Newcastle Airport, fell from the sky and landed on a grass court at the Northumberland Club in Jesmond.

Horrified members of the club on North Jesmond Avenue, surrounded by houses and just yards from the busy Osborne Road, called police after the scare just before 9.30am on Wednesday.

They said the unused court where the concrete block landed was 10 yards away from the club's indoor courts. Airport staff later said the block had fallen from a light aircraft that took off at 9.20am.

It is thought the four-seater Piper Cherokee took off without removing the weight.

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