I'm so sorry, pilot tells couple after plane crashes into their garden

Published on Sunday 24 February 2008 21:05

AN ELDERLY couple told of their shock yesterday after a plane crashed into their garden as they sat watching TV.

Eileen Watling, 71, who lives with her husband Alfred, 83, said: "It was so sudden. We'd just started watching a film when there was an almighty crash. We thought the whole house had collapsed.

"I looked out of the window and saw the conifers had come down and there were no electricity lines. Then I saw the plane."

The two men in the plane – the pilot and a passenger – escaped serious injury as their light aircraft came down in the Watlings' garden in Folkestone, shortly after taking off from nearby Rochester airport on Saturday afternoon.

The two-seater Cessna 172 had narrowly missed a neighbour's house opposite, before hitting power cables and crashing into trees next to the couple's garage, yards from their bungalow.

Mrs Watling said: "When the pilot came out, he was covered in blood – then the passenger came down out of the trees. I managed to get them into the conservatory and got a towel to stop the bleeding from the pilot's head.

"He said: 'I'm so sorry to do this to you'. And I said: 'Not to worry; your health's more important'."

The pilot and his passenger were taken to hospital and treated for minor injuries.

Emergency services arrived within minutes and police cordoned off the crash scene. A team from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch is due to take the plane away this morning.

It is thought the aircraft may have been travelling too low due to the foggy conditions.

Mrs Watling said: "They were flying at 500ft. We're at 600ft here, but because of the fog blanket they didn't see what the problem was."

She went on: "We realise just how lucky we've been. The plane was 10ft from our neighbour's house. If it had hit them first, it could have exploded. Somebody was looking out for us."

A Kent Police spokeswoman said the pilot was from Maidstone, Kent, and the passenger from Cranbrook, Kent. The pair were taken to William Harvey Hospital in Ashford for treatment.