Hero in helicopter saves crashed pilot
Published: December 11, 2006
A hero helicopter pilot who spotted the wreckage of a crashed stunt plane may have saved the trapped woman pilot’s life.
The mystery Good Samaritan landed nearby and gave the woman vital first aid until emergency services arrived - then flew off without leaving his name.
Witnesses said his prompt actions possibly made the difference between life and death.
The woman, believed to be in her thirties, had tried to make an emergency landing in a field at Drayton, a hamlet near Chichester, at 11.30 yesterday morning.
As her Pitts S-1S biplane touched down it flipped upside down just metres away from a railway line.
Commuity fire warden Sue Long, who was one of the first people on the scene, said: “The plane was in a real state. She was lucky to escape alive.”
The helicopter pilot had responded to a message put out to all aircraft in the area to keep a look-out for the biplane, which had made distress calls. He hauled the woman out of the cockpit with the help of a walker who was passing.
Five police cars and four fire engines made their way to the crash site, to the east of Drayton Lane, crossing muddy, rutted fields.
The woman, who had been flying solo, was carried across the railway line on a stretcher to an ambulance, which took her to St Richard’s Hospital in Chichester. Mrs Long said that the pilot was conscious, with her eyes open. She said: “She looked very shocked but was OK.”
The pilot was discharged from St Richard’s yesterday afternoon.
A hospital spokeswoman said: “She had no serious injuries. She’s a very lucky young lady.”
An investigation has been launched in a bid to unravel the cause of the crash.
The biplane, serial number GBOXH, is based at Shoreham Airport and has been piloted to victory in a number of air show competitions.
Nobody from the airport was available to comment last night.
If you enjoyed this good news Subscribe to Good News Blog
Share this
To share this simply copy and paste one of the below URL's: