A Spitfire plane carrying a pilot and one passenger has crash-landed on a field in Kent.
The World War Two plane was forced to make an emergency landing on a field near Lower Wall Road in West Hythe yesterday evening, just days before the VE Day celebrations across the UK.
The pilot and a passenger managed to walk out of the aircraft unhurt.
One eyewitness described the moments before the hair-raising emergency manoeuvre: ‘We were on our way home from shopping and saw another Spitfire circling, which we thought was unusual – maybe practising for a VE-Day ceremony.
‘We continued driving and then came across the plane that had just crash-landed. The pilot and passenger were luckily out of the aircraft.’
The emergency services were alerted and locals, along with a farmer, helped guide the rescue workers to the site.
The fire service said: ‘Two fire engines attended, and crews helped make the scene safe. One person was passed into the care of SECAmb paramedics.’
Fly a Spitfire, a company which owns the plane, said in a statement on social media that the pilot made a ‘precautionary landing.’
A spokesperson said: ‘We are aware of an incident involving one of our Spitfire aircraft in the vicinity of Hythe.
‘We have spoken to the pilot who has advised that a precautionary landing was made at a non-airfield site.
‘The pilot and passenger are uninjured and at this stage we have no further information.’
One person reacted to the news of the landing: ‘So glad they managed to get out safely. Great airmanship demonstrated by the pilot to get the Spitfire down in one piece. Planes can get repaired but loss of lives cannot.’
One Kent resident said: ‘We see and hear her fly over Speldhurst very frequently I’m so glad both the plane and occupants are safe.’
It is not known what caused the emergency landing.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has been notified about the incident, Metro understands.
While the watchdog did not send a team to the accident site, it will carry out an investigation to the incident, it is thought.
The hamlet of West Hythe is located around nine miles west of Folkestone on the Kent coast and less than two miles from the sea.
Like large parts of the UK, the weather in the West Hythe area was sunny yesterday.
Wind gusts reached around 18mph at about 6pm last night.
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