Pilot ‘crawls out’ after plane crashes on to beach in Gosport | Hampshire

A pilot survived after a light plane crashed on the Hampshire coast on Saturday.

The Hampshire and Isle of Wight fire and rescue service said the pilot exited the plane before firefighters arrived and was then assessed by the ambulance service.

The aircraft touched down in Lee-on-the-Solent, Gosport, Hampshire, at around 4.15pm.

In a statement from the fire service, it was stated that firefighters tried to lift the plane from the sea with a crane and Hampshire police kept the plane safe until it was rescued.

HM Coastguard said the pilot was the only person on board and “was able to reach the beach on his own and was checked in by the ambulance service”.

Ellie Chapman, who witnessed the accident, told the Southern Daily Echo: “I was looking at free books on the beach when I heard a loud crash from the rocks.

“When I turned around I saw that the plane was already in the water, its tail lifting briefly before falling down, indicating that it had gone nose first. There was no sound from the plane beforehand, so the crash happened without any warning.”

“I saw the pilot crawling towards the water and people helped him up onto the rocks. Everyone looked confused, some ran to help, while others stood in shock, including me.”

The coast guard said Hamble Lifeboat, coast guard helicopter and air ambulance also arrived at the scene of the accident.