The quick actions of a witness to a light aircraft crash in Shropshire have saved the lives of two men.
The aircraft was upside down at Shifnal airfield and on fire with the pilot and his companion inside, after crashing upon take off at around 10.45am today.
A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: “In addition to calling the ambulance service the man ran towards the burning craft with a fire extinguisher. He put out the fire and dragged the passenger out. But the fire re-ignited around the feet of the pilot and this was again extinguished. The man was unable to pull the pilot free because he was trapped.
“The pilot, a man in his sixties, was freed by the emergency services and he was the more seriously injured of the two. He had a dislocated right shoulder, a broken arm, a broken leg and a broken ankle. His legs were placed in traction, he was fully immobilised and given pain relief at the scene before being flown to Royal Stoke University Hospital.
“His passenger, a man in his fifties had head and neck injuries. He was given oxygen at the scene and was also fully immobilised before being taken by land ambulance to Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.
“But without doubt, the hero of the hour was the eyewitness to the crash without whose actions, this could have ended up far, far more serious.”
Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service sent five appliances including the Foam Pod to the scene. Crews used hydraulic cutting equipment to release the pilot.
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