Plane plunges into the sea during Kent air show
Spectators have been praised for wading into the sea to help a pilot who ditched his plane into the water after it ran into trouble during an air show in Kent.
See also: Pilot walks away from nosedive crash at airshow
See also: Airshow crash pilot had undiagnosed heart problem
Witness Nigel Hancock told how people rushed forward to right the light aircraft after it plunged into the sea at the Herne Bay air show on Sunday.
We are currently working with other emergency services after a plane landed in the sea in #HerneBayhttps://t.co/NpN5zJWkdv
— Kent Police (UK) (@kent_police) August 14, 2016
These crazy images taken by Hancock show the moment the plane came down near Sea View Road – imagine being there to actually see this happen...
Hancock said: "I was sat up on a local high point. I'd only just arrived there when I saw this aircraft had left the display pattern. I thought something was amiss, so I took a sequence of shots.
"The aircraft was very small and it ended up in shallow water. If it wasn't for the quick actions of people on the beach wading in to help right the aircraft, I don't know what would have happened."
The air show said on its Facebook page that the incident involved the Turbulent Display Team, and confirmed that the pilot suffered minor injuries.
We are pleased to confirm our pilot is safe and the aircraft intact after a decision to ditch in the sea @baypromoteam due to a problem.
— Turbulent Team (@turbteam) August 14, 2016
Matt West, of the UK Coastguard, said the pilot was uninjured.
The Lydd-based Coastguard search and rescue helicopter was scrambled, along with Coastguard rescue teams and the Whitstable inshore lifeboat.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) deployed a team to investigate.
The AAIB is deploying a team to investigate an accident in which an aircraft ditched in the sea off Herne Bay, Kent.
— AAIB (@aaibgovuk) August 14, 2016
The incident comes after safety regulations at UK air shows were tightened in the wake of last August's Shoreham air disaster, which claimed 11 lives.