Prince Andrew reportedly escaped potential disaster when a Royal Flight was dramatically aborted moments before taking off as its pilot spotted a ground technician waving a scribbled note saying: ‘Stop!’.
According to reports, the plane was about to fly when the engineer spotted oil seeping from the undercarriage and he quickly wrote the makeshift sign.
A media outlet reported that the engineer frantically waved it at the pilot just as the Cessna Citation prepared to taxi towards the military runway at Leuchars in Fife, Scotland.
It added that the engines roaring and Andrew on board, the pilot noticed the warning with seconds to spare and abandoned his take off.
The incident, which has only just come to light, happened on September 20, 2019.
Conducting his own inspection, he confirmed that oil was ‘seeping’ from the undercarriage retraction mechanism and leaking elsewhere, and grounded the flight.
According to aviation experts, the fault, which occurred, could cause indeterminable consequences as the leak usually prevents the landing gear from lowering.
The technician was reportedly honoured with safety award for his quick thinking.
The Duke of York, who had been playing golf at St Andrews five miles away, was driven to a lounge to await another flight back to London.