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Two survive horror light aircraft crash as plane nosedives onto Cotswolds road

Shocking pictures show the pilot and his passenger sitting in the wreckage as traffic builds up behind them

Barney Davis
Thursday 29 August 2024 06:49 BST
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The pair on board can be seen grimacing in the cockpit
The pair on board can be seen grimacing in the cockpit (Mila Vukelia / SWNS)

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This is the shocking moment a light aircraft nosedives onto a busy road narrowly avoiding drivers in the Cotswolds.

The pilot and passenger, both men, can be seen grimacing in the cockpit after their glider lost a wing in the crash.

The plane crash-landed on the A419 in Gloucestershire. Emergency services rushed to the scene, with Great Western Air Ambulance among those called to reports of the downed motorised glider at around 4.45pm yesterday.

The crash happened on the A-road just metres away from the landing strip at Aston Down airfield in Frampton Mansell, between Cirencester and Stroud.

A witness said that it “looked like it stalled and nose-dived into the main road”.

Tony Breakspear-Jones was caught up in traffic queues near the incident. “We could see what looked like a glider,” he told BBC Radio Gloucestershire. “My stepdaughter, who’s a nurse, stayed at the scene to help out,” he added.

The two occupants of the aircraft are not believed to have been seriously injured, with the air ambulance stood down soon after arriving at the scene.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Gloucestershire Constabulary said: “Motorists are advised that road closures are in place while emergency services are in attendance.

“There were two occupants on board who will be assessed by the ambulance service, and it is understood that no other vehicles were involved.”

Cotswold Gliding Club said it was aware of the incident and that the Air Accident Investigation Branch [AAIB] was now “involved”.

A spokesperson for the AAIB said it had been notified of the “light aircraft accident” and would be commencing an investigation.

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