Miracle as pensioner pilots escape plane crash

Aug 31 2008 by Sara Nichol, Sunday Sun

TWO men in their seventies had a miracle escape yesterday when their aircraft flipped upside down as it landed at a North airfield.

Incredibly, the plucky pensioners both managed to scramble free from the wreckage before emergency services arrived.

The pilot, however, was unable to stand and is thought to have sustained a serious back injury. His co-pilot escaped with minor injuries.

The crash happened at Morgansfield air strip, at Garmondsway, County Durham, at 3.50pm yesterday. The pilot was taken by air ambulance to North Tees Hospital.

Sarah Booth, of the Great North Air Ambulance, said: “They were both exceptionally lucky.

It’s an amazing achievement for both of them that they managed to get free before the emergency services were there. When you look at the pictures of the plane, it really is quite remarkable. They did amazingly well to keep their cool and composure to deal with the accident.”

The two-seater Vans RV light aircraft was flying to County Durham from North Weald airfield, in Essex, but flipped onto its back as it landed, digging up the ground with its tail.

Police, paramedics, the Great North Air Ambulance and two fire crews from nearby Spennymoor and Sedgfield attended the airfield near the busy A177 road.

Jane Peacock, a senior air crew paramedic with the Great North Air Ambulance, was the first medic on the scene, with consultant anaesthetist Phil Godfrey

Jane said: “When we approached the airfield we saw an aircraft upside down.

“We were the first medical resource at the scene and when we landed we saw the two passengers, one was standing up but the other was lying on the ground.

“It took us about half an hour to attend to the man lying on the ground, who appeared to have back injuries. He was placed on a stretcher and we took him to North Tees Hospital.

“The other man had only very minor injuries and we left him with the road crew.”

The cause of the crash is not yet known but the weather is not thought to have played a part.

In another remarkable twist, the chief executive of the Great North Air Ambulance is due to pick-up a cheque from the airfield tomorrow as Morgansfield has always been a supporter of the charity.

Yesterday, police officers guarded the entrance to the airfield, only allowing investigation teams onto the site. They have not yet named the two pilots.