A PENSIONER and a woman had to be rescued after their plane crashed in a field near Braintree. 

Emergency services were called to Andrewsfield, Stebbing at about 1pm on Saturday following reports of a serious smash involving a light aircraft which had taken off from Southend.

Upon arrival paramedics, firefighters, and police officers discovered the wreckage of a small plane in which a man in his 80s was trapped and a woman in her 30s had been injured.

Thankfully, following the joint efforts of the emergency services workers, including the Hazardous Area Response Team, the elderly man was soon freed from the aircraft.

The pair were left in the care of paramedics having remarkably only suffered minor injuries, despite the severity of the crash.

Incident commander Scott Meekings from the Essex County Fire and Rescue Service, however, has now said the outcome could have been far worse.

He said: “When we arrived the aircraft was upside down.
“There was a real risk of a fire starting due to the engine and fuel, but thankfully this didn’t happen.

“The rescue efforts were a multi-agency response and, incredibly, the men only suffered minor injuries. It’s the best outcome we could have hoped for.”

In shocking photos seen by the Gazette the smashed-up, red and green plane can be seen surrounded by stretchers and paramedics firefighters as they attempt to free the pensioner.

The cause of the incident is currently being investigated by the Air Accident Investigation Branch, a government agency responsible for investigating civil aircraft accidents and serious incidents within the UK. 

Sergeant Paul Gosling has now praised those involved for how they handled the emergency situation.

He said: “This was an excellent response from all our partner agencies and our officers on the ground. 

“Thanks to a co-ordinated multi-agency approach we were able to ensure everyone involved in this incident was able to leave this scene with only minor injuries.” 

The latest aircraft emergency comes after a man in his 70s died after a small plane crashed in a village between Halstead and Sudbury.