Probe launched after pilot hurt as WW2 Grumman Wildcat overturns at Heveningham Hall

ANGLIA 070723 Heveningham plane crash East Anglia News Service - bought
The wreckage of the plane can be seen covered up in the distance beside a hedge Credit: East Anglia News Service

An investigation has begun after a pilot crashed his restored WW2 aircraft as he arrived for an airshow on a country estate.

The vintage plane overturned as it landed in the grounds of Heveningham Hall in Suffolk at around 5.15pm on Thursday, leaving the pilot injured.

Police said the pilot was trying to land when incident happened at the hall near Halesworth.

The Grumman FM2 Wildcat, thought to have been recently restored, crashed in the grounds of the 5000-acre estate near Halesworth.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch said it had launched an investigation and a team was already at the site.

A spokesman said: “A team of inspectors arrived on site this morning to examine the aircraft and begin gathering evidence.”

The Grumman FM2 Wildcat was a US plane used in the Second World War Credit: American Heritage Museum

The hall is the venue for an event called Heveningham Concours at the weekend which is described as one of the UK's finest annual motor car and aeroplane shows.

Suffolk Police said ambulance crews and Suffolk Fire and Rescue were called to the incident.

The pilot was the only person on board the aircraft and police said he suffered serious injuries.

The plane could be seen upside down in a field at Heveningham Hall Credit: East Anglia News Service

An area of the estate has been cordoned off while officers deal with the incident, and the Air Accidents Investigation Branch has been informed.

Tents can be seen in the grounds of the hall, which is due to stage a big country fair this weekend Credit: ITV News Anglia

The crash comes just two days before the Concours, which takes place as part of the Heveningham Hall Country Fair.

It is held at the hall in Suffolk where around fifty vintage cars are displayed together with a dozen or so historic propeller aircraft on grounds nearby.

The event takes place at the same time as the wider annual Heveningham Country Fair.

One of the charities benefitting from the fair is The East Anglian Air Ambulance, which covers Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, and Norfolk.

The pilot who crashed ended up being airlifted to hospital by their helicopter.

A spokeman for Heveningham Hall said the country show would be going ahead as planned.

It is thought the pilot is recovering well from his injuries.

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