Pilot leaps from glider after mid-air crash at 4,500ft

Updated
PIlot parachutes from glider after mid-air crash at 4,500ft
PIlot parachutes from glider after mid-air crash at 4,500ft

A pilot was forced to leap out of his glider after a mid-air collision at 4,500ft.

The pilot parachuted to safety after the crash between two gliders during a competition in Cambridgeshire.

The pilot, farmer Andy Preston, 70, miraculously escaped with minor injuries before the glider's wing broke off and it plummeted to the ground.

The glider crashed upside down in a field near Little Paxton in Cambridgeshire.

According to the Mirror, the pilots were taking part in the week-long Hus Bos Challenge Cup and were flying from the Gliding Centre at Husbands Bosworth in Leicestershire at around 50mph.

Pilot parachutes to safety after glider crash at 4,500ft
Pilot parachutes to safety after glider crash at 4,500ft


Speaking to the Daily Mail, Mr Preston said: "It was very scary. It was like a car crash in the air. I was very lucky to get out. The other glider seemed to come out of nowhere.

"I was 4,500 foot up in the air, if you're going to crash then height is your friend.

"There was a very loud crash and my glider seemed to immediately tip upside down. It all happened very quickly."

He added: "I found out I had fractured a vertebrae, it's a stable fracture so it won't require surgery. When I saw the photos I couldn't believe it, my family couldn't believe it either. It was frightening to see the pictures of me in the air."

Mr Preston, who had been flying for 19 years, said he was sad his glider was gone, but did not think it was worth getting another one.

The pilot of the second glider landed safely on an airfield near Bedford.

The accident is being investigated by the British Gliding Association.



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