Buzzapp Master 
A pilot has shared the terrifying moment he ‘couldn’t breathe or see’ as his plane plummeted into a field – only to be rescued by none other than TV star Paul Hollywood. Iain Stingemore set off from Manston Airport in Kent at around 12pm on Tuesday when his cockpit roof detached, forcing him into emergency action.
The 58-year-old was merely a few hundred feet off the ground when panic broke out. There was a mere 15 seconds between the malfunction and crash landing in a nearby field off Thorne Hill in Minster, Kent.
In an unexpected twist, Great British Bake Off’s Paul Hollywood, who was mid-flight lesson with Polar Helicopters, landed nearby and dashed over to help. “Paul Hollywood was having a flying lesson and he checked to see if I was okay,” the gas engineer told KentLive.
Fortunately, Mr Stingemore escaped with just a minor scrape on his leg
(Image: Gary Stone© SWNS)
“It wasn’t how I planned to meet him but he checked to see if I was okay. I said to him: ‘I don’t suppose you planned on doing this on your lesson?’ The whole of Manston rushed over to recover the plane and help.
“Thankfully, I walked away due to my skill and training.” Five fire engines were dispatched to the scene following reports of an ’emergency aircraft landing’.
Mr Stingemore further added: “The owner of the house next door rushed out to help. He bought a box of rusty tools over to help get the plane over to the airfield.”
Luckily, the pilot walked away with just a minor scrape on his leg and, in his own words, ‘damaged pride’. Recounting the incident, he said: “I was about to fly back to Stoke in Medway.
“I was flying out of Manston, turned right to cross the road, the canopy came off and I had about 15 seconds before I landed. I was at about a couple of hundred feet and climbing. I couldn’t breathe or see anything.”
Despite the hair-raising crash, Mr Stingemore remains undeterred. He even planned to soar the skies again the following day in a different aircraft. Alas, the one from Tuesday’s mishap is irreparable.
Iain Stingemore had just taken off from Manston Airport in Kent before the crash
“It takes you a few seconds before you realise there is no way out,” he added. “Thankfully, I was very well-trained, didn’t panic, and you have to set the plane up to get it as flat and level as possible.
“It could’ve been very different. A lot of people panic in this situation.” The fire service said it was called to reports of ‘an emergency aircraft landing’ shortly before 12.30pm.
A spokesperson said: “Five fire engines attended, with crews taking precautionary safety checks and making the area safe.”
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