A man has been taken to hospital after a light aircraft crash landed in a field near an airfield in Upminster, east London. Emergency services rushed to the scene on Aveley Road, just west of the M25, after receiving reports of the incident at around 1pm on Saturday.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed that a male passenger was transported to the hospital for treatment, though his condition remains unknown. Firefighters from Essex Fire Brigade and paramedics from the London Ambulance Service also attended the crash site.
The crash involved a French-made Jodel D.120, a two-seater leisure plane built in 1960, which was found upturned in Belhus Woods Country Park, located near Damyns Hall Aerodrome. It is still unclear whether the aircraft was arriving at or departing from the airfield when the crash occurred.
An eyewitness, Alex Sarzi-Sartori, described hearing silence from the plane as its engine appeared to cut out mid-flight. It was dead quiet,” he told the Romford Recorder. “I saw the propellers weren’t actually moving, and I thought ‘that’s trying to land.'”
He added that people rushed to the scene to assist as fuel began to gush from the plane after it came down in the field.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has launched an investigation into the crash and is deploying inspectors to the scene. A spokesperson for the AAIB confirmed, “We are aware of the accident. We will be deploying inspectors to the scene.”
The Metropolitan Police also confirmed the incident, stating, “Officers were called to an area on Aveley Road, Upminster, at 1.08pm on Saturday, September 7 to reports that a light aircraft had crashed. One male passenger was taken to hospital for treatment.”
This crash follows another recent aviation incident involving a glider that landed on a main road in Gloucestershire last week, highlighting concerns over small aircraft safety.
As investigations into the cause of the crash continue, the road near Belhus Country Park remains closed while authorities work to secure the area and gather evidence.
