Light plane flips over during landing at air show in Worcester, UK

June 10, 2007

A father and his son escaped serious injury yesterday when their plane flipped over on landing at an air show at Defford Airfield, near Worcester, England. The crash occurred during Defford Air Day at 2:30pm local time, at a charitable event to raise money for the Mission Aviation Fellowship and the Warwickshire and Northants Air Ambulance. The plane involved was one of a range of both vintage and modern aircraft being showcased in front of hundreds of spectators at the event.

The accident occurred at low speed as the plane landed. The forward wheel suddenly dug into the soft ground and stopped dead, causing the plane to flip forwards onto it's back. The 56-year-old pilot and his son escaped from the plane unaided.

A land ambulance, a rapid response vehicle and the Warwickshire and Northants Air Ambulance provided emergency response at the scene. The older man was taken by land ambulance to hospital for an x-ray on his shoulder, but the younger man did not require hospital treatment. However, the air ambulance doctor could not rule out the possibility of spinal injuries.

An investigation has begun to determine the cause of the accident.