Three injured as light aircraft hits overhead cables

Three people have been taken to hospital after the light aircraft they were flying in hit the central reservation of a dual carriageway and burst into flames.

Gwent Police said they were called at around 11am on Sunday to reports an aircraft had to make an unscheduled landing close to the A40 between Raglan and Abergavenny – colliding with overhead wiring.

The dual carriageway was closed as result of the incident, with images captured by witnesses at the scene showing the aircraft alight in the middle of the road, and others a plume of smoke rising into the air.

Speaking to the BBC, motorist Joel Snarr said he was travelling along the A40 and saw a light aircraft come out of nowhere and “hit the central reservation” before it burst “into smoke and some flames”.

He added: “It was a miracle no one else was on the road at the time.”

Sprinting towards the plane he said he saw another man trying to kick one of the windows out of the aircraft, which is when he realised there were still people inside.

“A young lad had managed to crawl out through the broken window, as I got there a young woman was crawling out of the window,” he said.

“I grabbed her by the belt buckle and just dragged her clear. The pilot put his hands out – grabbed both of them – pulled him out clear of the plane.”

Moving the three people away from the aircraft to wait for the emergency services, he said the parachute and extinguishers then “popped off” due to being pressurised, and the rest of fuel in the aircraft caught fire.

“It was an incredibly intense fire,” he added.

Daniel Nicholson, who was the first on scene and carried out the rescue with Mr Snarr, told the BBC the aircraft was upside down and that the trapped passengers were screaming because of the fire.

He said that the young girl and boy he helped rescue were both around 19 or 20 years old and “terrified” as a result of their experience.

A Gwent Police spokesman said: “Three occupants of the light aircraft were treated by paramedics at the scene. Their injuries are not life-threatening.”

South Wales Fire Service said the three people were “transported by ambulance to hospital as a precautionary measure”, with the A40 remaining closed for several hours.

Police said Western Power were also called to the scene of the incident, which saw overhead cabling fall close to a nearby train line.

A spokesman for Network Rail confirmed the line between Newport and Hereford was closed as a safety measure.