PLANE SWERVES OUT OF CONTROL
Women hurt as single seater rolls down bank
FOUR people had a lucky escape as this aircraft crashed at Crosland Hill.
The plane veered off the runway, down a banking and through a wall as it tried to take off.
Two women passengers were slightly hurt but two men were uninjured.
Passers-by rushed to help the passengers after seeing the drama at the Crosland Hill airfield.
An official inquiry is under way.
T WO women were hurt when an aircraft crashed in Huddersfield.
Two men who were also on board escaped injury as the light aircraft veered off the runway at the Crosland Hill Airfield on take-off yesterday.
It is thought the plane veered down a banking, through a wall and came to rest in a field.
None of those on board were badly hurt.
An investigation has now been launched by the Air Accident Investigation Board.
The incident came shortly before 10.45am as the aircraft was taking off from the airfield.
Passers-by ran to help the people on board.
One of those was Huddersfield businessman Carlton Littleford, who lives in South Crosland and was driving along Sandy Lane which runs below the airfield.
“I saw the aircraft in the field and thought it was odd.
“I realised help might be needed so I drove into the airfield and saw two women, one of them sat on the floor and the other standing next to her.
“One had head injuries and the other was nursing her arm, but they said they were not badly hurt.
“I had some blankets in my van so I gave them to the women. I offered to call an ambulance but they said they were going to the hospital.
“There were two men near the scene and they too had been on the aircraft.
“One told me they were taking off for a weekend away when all of a sudden the plane veered to the left off the runway. He said there did not seem anything on the runway but the plane rolled down the banking and through the wall before stopping in the field.”
A spokesman for the airfield said: “There was a mishap with an aircraft veering off the runway on take-off. “Nobody was badly hurt. “There is now an investigation by the AAIB which is compulsory; the pilot by law has to report such an incident.
“He is a very experienced pilot.”