Plane crash at Crosland Hill airfield - amazing pictures

Mar 25 2010 Huddersfield Daily Examiner

A PILOT escaped serious injury after crashing on take-off in Huddersfield.

The man climbed clear of his twin-engined diesel plane, after it overshot the runway before take-off.

The incident happened at Crosland Hill Airfield yesterday at about 11am.

The Diamond 42 plane came to rest in thick grass, covered in mud.

The plane, valued at about £350,000, is a four-seater aircraft capable of flying at up to 18,000 feet.

A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said: “He tried to take off, but realised he wasn’t going to make it.

“He slammed all on but overshot the runway and ended up in a mud bank.

“Fortunately he came out laughing!”

The twin-engined diesel aircraft was damaged at the tail end during the incident.

The pilot did not need medical treatment.

Investigators from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch attended the scene.

The United Kingdom Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) is part of the Department for Transport.