Woman hurt as light aircraft crash-lands in field

A woman was injured when a light aircraft crash-landed in a field in Co Fermanagh today.

She suffered suspected spinal injuries when the plane put down in the field close to a hunting lodge outside Irvinestown.

Her husband, who was piloting the plane, was not injured.

A police spokeswoman said the couple, from Galway, were on their way home from Prestwick in Scotland and had been heading for St Angelo Airport at Enniskillen when they got into difficulties.

The pilot had raised the alarm that he had a problem about 15 minutes before the crash landing.

Police and the Fire and Rescue Service went to the scene. It is understood that fire officers were cutting the woman out of the aircraft because of her suspected spinal injuries.

The woman was eventually cut free from the aircraft and flown by police helicopter to hospital in Enniskillen.

A Fire and Rescue Service spokesman who went to the scene said: “She was in great pain with injuries to her lower legs and possible spinal injuries.

“A doctor went to the scene and gave her medication to stabilise her before we cut the cab off the plane to get her out on a spinal board.”