TRAGEDY was narrowly averted when a light aircraft crashed whilst approaching a North Yorkshire airfield.

It is believed the Piper PA 28 Arrow suffered engine failure whilst approaching Sherburn Aero Club at Sherburn-in-Elmet near York at 3pm on Saturday.

Amazingly, the two male occupants, aged 35 and 36, managed to walk away from the aircraft unhurt.

They managed to land the single engine plane on a slope covered in shrubbery about 300 metres from one of the airfield’s runways. The plane was badly damaged, but the two men suffered only bumps and bruises.

The club launched its emergency procedures and notified the emergency services. 

A spokesman for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue, said fire crews and paramedics rushed to the scene, but when they arrived they discovered the men had managed to walk free.

The pilots were checked by ambulance crews as a precaution, but did not need hospital treatment.

He said: “Our crews used bolt-croppers to gain access to the airfield and made their way through to the crash site on foot. But no further action was needed by the fire brigade.

"It was left in the hands of the police.”

It is believed the plane was not part of the club but had been visiting from Cranfield in Lincolnshire and its engine problems only became apparent as it was coming down to land.

The Air Accident Investigation Branch has been informed about the accident and is investigating.