Pilot seriously injured after plane crashes into Yorkshire park

LONDON: A pilot suffered serious injuries after a light aircraft crashed into a sculpture park in North Yorkshire on Wednesday afternoon.

Emergency services were called to the scene in the Masham area at around 12:20pm. The pilot was freed from the wreckage and airlifted to hospital with serious injuries. No other casualties have been reported.

The aircraft came down at The Himalayan Garden & Sculpture Park near Grewelthorpe. Images from the scene show the white plane crumpled against a tree, with the cockpit completely destroyed after the aircraft appeared to nosedive into the ground.

The popular tourist attraction was closed to the public for the winter at the time of the crash.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said crews from Leyburn, Thirsk and Ripon attended the incident. Firefighters helped release the pilot, checked for potential hazards and secured the area.

The Yorkshire Ambulance Service confirmed it dispatched several resources, including an ambulance crew, a team leader and the Yorkshire Air Ambulance. The injured pilot was transported to the hospital by air.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has launched an investigation into the crash.

In a statement, the agency said a multi-disciplinary team with expertise in aircraft operations, engineering and recorded data has been deployed to gather evidence and determine the cause of the accident.