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.

Officials are responsible for the investigation of all civil aircraft accidents and serious incidents within the UK, whether or not anyone is injured.

The Chief Inspector of Air Accidents reports directly to the Secretary of State for Transport.

They prepare a report outlining the circumstances of each incident and making recommendations if necessary to prevent a repeat.

A spokesman said: “Our inspector has started an inquiry and will be taking a detailed report from the pilot.

“We are unable to say how long the report will take to prepare as every investigation is different. We will be trying to ascertain exactly what happened in this case.”

The Crosland Hill site has been an airfield for more than 65 years.

Over the last 25 years there have been two fatal accident at the airfield.

A microlight pilot died in an accident in May 1988 and a 69-year-old Yorkshireman died when his replica wartime aircraft crashed in September 1996.

The last accident at the site was in November 2005 when a plan overshot the runway and hit a wall.

The airfield is primarily used by hobby pilots but for many years was very popular with local businesses including David Browns and Brook Motors, who used in to fly in VIP customers.