Probe after pilot survives plane crash in Aberdeenshire field

Probe launched into Aberdeenshire plane crash.

The small aircraft came down while the pilot was attempting to carry out an emergency landing near Alford in rural Aberdeenshire.

The fixed wing made its rough and tumble landing half a mile north-west of the Guise of Tough, on a private airstrip, tipping over nose down into the ground during the dramatic ditching.

Firefighters rushed to the scene and made the aircraft safe but no-one was injured during the incident, which happened around 8.25pm on June 23.  

A spokeswoman for Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said: “We got the call at 8.45pm. Two appliances attended.

“The fire service stood by and made the aircraft safe.

“No equipment was used and no rescues carried out.”

It remains unclear where the pilot was coming from or heading to, or what happened to force them to make the sudden landing.

It is understood that one other passenger was on board the aircraft at the time.

The plane has since been removed from the field and an investigation launched by the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB), which is responsible for looking into aviation incidents.

An AAIB spokesman said: “It is an ‘investigation by correspondence’, which means we’re looking at it through emails and calls with the pilot rather than sending a team of inspectors.

“Once those are concluded, it will be published as part of one of our monthly bulletins.

“As it only happened a few weeks ago, it could be a couple of months before the report is published on this one.”

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