Small plane crashes into a block of flats in Oxfordshire as pilot is hospitalised
Small plane crashes into a block of flats in Oxfordshire as pilot is hospitalised with several injuries
Police, paramedics and fire crews rushed to scene near Bicester around midday Although area is home to RAF base, it is not thought military plane was involvedIt was believed the pilot was flying low when the aircraft struck the empty flats No one else was hurt and pilot’s injuries are not believed to be life-threatening
<!–
<!–
<!–<!–
<!–
(function (src, d, tag){
var s = d.createElement(tag), prev = d.getElementsByTagName(tag)[0];
s.src = src;
prev.parentNode.insertBefore(s, prev);
}(“https://www.dailymail.co.uk/static/gunther/1.17.0/async_bundle- -.js”, document, “script”));
<!–
DM.loadCSS(“https://www.dailymail.co.uk/static/gunther/gunther-2159/video_bundle- -.css”);
<!–
A pilot has been hospitalised after a small plane crashed into a block of flats in Oxfordshire today, police said.
Police, paramedics and fire crews rushed to the scene in Upper Heyford, near Bicester, at around midday and found the pilot in a field.
He had suffered several injuries but police said that none of them were believed to be life-threatening.
Although the village is home to an RAF base, it is not thought a military plane is involved, reports the BBC.
It was believed that the pilot was flying low when the aircraft struck the flats, which were empty, the force added in a statement. No one else was hurt.
One eye-witness recalled seeing the pilot bail out of the stunt plane just seconds before it dramatically crashed into the building.
Police, paramedics and fire crews rushed to the scene in Upper Heyford, near Bicester, Oxfordshire at around midday and found the pilot in a field (crash pictured)
It was believed that the pilot was flying low when the aircraft struck the flats (pictured), which were empty, the force added in a statement. No one else was hurt
The 45-year-old woman said she was sitting in her garden when she heard the plane fly overhead and looked up to see the pilot suddenly ejecting out of the cockpit with a parachute which rapidly opened.
George Parker, who lives just a few hundred yards from the crash scene at the former United States Air Force base, said: ‘I was amazed to see the parachute and then realised that the plane was coming down at a 45 degree angle and was going to crash.
‘I saw the pilot come down in a nearby field as the plane smashed into a block of new build flats. Fortunately no-one has yet moved into them.’
She added: ‘I regularly see the stunt plane flying around here on Saturday afternoons. The engine was still running and making a lot of whining noise after the pilot bailed out.
‘He was incredibly lucky to have get out while the plane was still in the air because looking at the state of the cockpit after it crashed, it is very unlikely he would have survived.
‘As the plane slammed into the flats at ground level, I grabbed my phone and dialled 999 for the police. I think loads of other people living around here did the same thing.’
The pilot, who has not yet been named, was taken by ambulance to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, where he was treated for his injuries. He was detained for observation.
No details of where he was flying to and from have yet been released by police.
The crash (above) is due to be investigated by officials from the Air Accident Investigation Branch based in Farnborough, Hampshire
The force said: ‘The light aircraft crashed into an unoccupied block of flats near Camp Road in Upper Heyford at about midday today.
‘The pilot has suffered several injuries and has been taken to hospital. No-one else has been injured as a result of the incident.
‘Thames Valley Police has put a small cordon in place at the scene, however at this time no local residents need to be evacuated.
‘We would urge anyone with any footage or information to contact the force by calling 101, quoting reference 857.’
The crash is due to be investigated by officials from the Air Accident Investigation Branch based in Farnborough, Hampshire, and it is expected they will remove the wreckage to examine it in a bid to discover why the pilot lost control.
