A PILOT had a lucky escape when his glider crashed into a field today.

North Yorkshire Police have been working alongside emergency service colleagues to assist the injured pilot who crashed at Appleton Wiske, a village between Northallerton and Yarm.

The ambulance service contacted the police at 3.52pm after the pilot had used his mobile phone to request emergency assistance when the aircraft came to rest in a hedge at Appleton Grange Farm.

He suffered a suspected fractured ankle and was taken by air ambulance to James Cook University Hospital on Teesside.

"There was initial difficulty in locating the collision scene as the navigation system on the glider was lost on impact," a spokesman said. "A large search was conducted by the emergency service teams in the nearby area, but it was a member of the public who found the glider and pilot just before 5pm."

It is understood the pilot was travelling to Durham Tees Valley Airport from Sutton Bank, near Thirsk.

Do you know the pilot? Email newsdesk@nne.co.uk