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That nearly WAS last orders: Pilot escapes with minor injuries after helicopter crashes next to village pub
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 7:20 PM on 25th May 2010

A pilot had a miracle escape after he lost control of his helicopter and flew into power lines before crashing in a field just yards from a village pub
The man was flying low over Poundsgate, near Newton Abbott, Devon when he was heard careering into a series of overheard electric cables.
Onlookers heard a loud bang as the helicopter touched the power lines which ripped the rotors off.
The Hughes 500 came hurtling down into a field in a shower of sparks with fuel leaking from the tank.

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The crashed helicopter lies in a field near Newton Abbott after its pilot hit power cables. Miraculously nobody was seriously hurt in the crash


But incredibly the pilot was able to scramble free from the wreckage and was airlifted to hospital with minor injuries after the accident early yesterday evening.
June Hamill, landlady of the local Tavistock Inn, said: 'I heard a helicopter come across and it was a bit low and hit the power cables and disintegrated.
'It was a big bang and as it hit the power cables the rotaries came off and landed everywhere, and the helicopter just tipped into the field.
'The paramedics pulled him out and saw to his wounds, then the air ambulance, fire engines and police cars all came up soon afterwards.

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The stricken helicopter can be seen in the field, circled, just yards from the Tavistock Inn in Poundsgate, Devon


'He had a big cut on his head and other cuts but he was sitting in a chair and they kept him talking.'
The pilot, of Exeter, Devon, survived and was treated for minor injuries at the scene before being airlifted to hospital.
Emergency services who attended the scene switched off the power lines and closed a nearby road while debris was cleared away.
A police spokesman said: 'When police arrived a helicopter was found to have collided with power lines with the aircraft hitting the ground in a field, suffering severe damage and was lying on its side.
'The pilot was treated for minor injuries at the scene and taken to hospital by air ambulance. Nobody else was involved in the incident.'
The wreckage of the helicopter remained in the field today and the incident has been reported to the Air Accident Investigation Branch.

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HELICOPTER pilot Jerry Dunn has said he is "lucky to be alive" after walking away from a horror crash.

Mr Dunn, 70, escaped with only minor injuries after his McDonnell Douglas 500 helicopter collided with power lines and crashed.

And the experienced pilot from Longdown, near Exeter, insists he will be back in the air within months.

He said: "I feel lucky to be alive.

"This particular model of helicopter has an A-frame inside and that is what saved my life. It was like a cocoon. If it had been another type of helicopter I may not be here."

His helicopter crashed near Poundsgate, Dartmoor, near Newton Abbot, at about 5.40pm on Monday.

He said: "The tail came off, and the rotors. I was flying to pick some people up. I have been to that place loads of times but there was a north-east wind so I had to come down a different way.

"There was a gap but I did not see the wires."

Grandfather Mr Dunn, who lives with his wife Pat, 61, suffered two cracked ribs, lacerations to his head, a large cut to the back of his head and bruising.

"I dropped 40ft," he said. " The electricity wires were like a bungee. They extended and then it was like a catapult. It sent me backwards and rolled me several times before hitting the deck. I was like a rag doll inside.

"I was very lucky to come out of it alive. I tried to pull up but it all happened so fast.

"I was also concerned that the aircraft was going to blow up and catch fire. Luckily part of the helicopter had snapped off and blocked the fuel line. Somebody up there must have been watching."

Mr Dunn, who has been flying for 20 years, said he has never been in an accident before.

He said 95 per cent of helicopter crashes were due to pilot error.

He added: "I will be back up again in a couple of months."

Ron Doe, 70, witnessed the crash as he waited to be picked up for a flight in the helicopter.

Mr Doe, who is from Brighton but was on holiday in Torbay, helped the dazed and injured pilot from the chopper.

It crashed in a field opposite the Tavistock Inn, in Poundsgate.

Mr Doe and his wife were due to go on a pleasure flight with pilot Mark Wilkinson, who was going to take over flying the chopper, when the drama unfolded above them.

He said: "The helicopter hit power lines. It was like fireworks going off.

"We were standing with Mark who was going to take us out for a flight.

"We knew the pilot, Jerry, was due in about 5.30pm and were waiting for him."

He revealed: "The helicopter came in a bit low over the trees which obscured the power cables.

"The trees are green and the power cables are green.

"As he tipped the nose down the front caught the cables. For a moment I thought he was going to break free because one of the cables broke, but then he went down.

"He came in as if it was a normal flight. Mark realised he was coming in too low and ran down the field trying to tell him."

He added: "There were sparks and flashes all over the place. Once it tipped him off he cart-wheeled down the field. It looked like fireworks going off. It was lucky he missed us all.

"Some of the bits of the helicopter flew over the hedge into the road."

Mr Doe was just 40 feet away as the helicopter hit the ground.

"We ran to the helicopter and got the door open.

"He was bleeding pretty badly," said Mr Doe.

"We got him out. I put my handkerchief over the cut on his head but he was bleeding through that. It was really scary.

"I have never felt better than when I looked at him and he was looking back at me smiling.

"It was really scary. My wife is very shaken up by what she saw.

"But it has all turned out all right in the end, apart from the helicopter.

"I really must convey my thanks to the emergency services. It does not seem like there was any time between the crash and the ambulance, police and fire service arriving on the scene. They did a great job."

About 150 homes lost their electricity because of damage caused to the cables.

Workers for Western Power Distribution restored power by midnight.

Nobody else was involved in the incident, which has been reported to the Air Accident Investigation Branch.

In a statement a spokesman said: "We are investigating through correspondence with the pilot."

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