Plane forced to land in Aberdeenshire field

A pilot escaped serious injury when he was forced to make an emergency landing in a field.

Fire crews attended the scene. Picture: PA

The 60-year-old landed the eight-seater aircraft near Limpet Wood around two miles outside Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, at about 4pm today, police said.

It is believed the plane developed an engine fault and lost power.

The pilot had climbed out of the plane by the time firefighters arrived on the scene.

He had suffered minor injuries and was checked over by an ambulance crew.

Two fire engines from Stonehaven and three from Aberdeen went to the scene after reports that an aircraft had come down.

Scottish Fire and Rescue Service group manager Mike Dickson said: “The crews first in attendance arrived to find the pilot was standing clear of the aircraft, which he had managed to safely land within a field and isolate some of its systems.

“Watch manager John Strachan was the incident commander and he immediately ordered his crews to take steps to reduce the chance of a fire.

“Firefighters ensured the plane’s fuel and power systems were isolated and covered the aircraft with a blanket of fire-retardant foam.

“They also removed some of its cargo and had two main jets standing by as a further precautionary measure.”