Air festival crash: Skill of pilot 'averted tragedy' by missing boats and rocks
Video report by ITV News Meridian's Richard Slee
It was the pilot's experience that averted tragedy after a plane crashed into the water at Poole Harbour, according to eye witnesses.
The biplane, belonging to the AeroSuperBatics wing-walking display team, landed in Poole Harbour near the Sandbanks ferry following a flight at the Bournemouth Air Festival on Saturday (4 Sept).
Pilot Dave Barrell and wing-walker Kirsten Pobjoy, both from Gloucestershire were rescued, suffering only minor injuries.
Organisers of the Bournemouth Air Festival shared their 'huge relief' that the incident 'resulted in the display crew being removed from the water safe and well'.
According to vintage flying veteran George Bacon, who's the festival commentator, it was Dave Barrell's thirty years experience that enabled him to avoid the boats and rocks.
He said: "When you have such a narrow area that you are aiming at you've got to take what you are given at that time.
"You can't mess about, you've identified a very safe area to put it down, which is also in reach of rescue boats and land."
The wing-walker plane that crashed following a display at the Bournemouth Air Festival has now been lifted from Poole Harbour.
Watch: Plane is lifted out of Poole Harbour following crash (Credit: Mike Aikman)
Ten years after Red Arrows pilot Jon Egging died at Bournemouth and six years after the Shoreham tragedy, this latest incident has once again raised the issue of safety at airshows.
George Bacon said: "All sorts of little things will occur which are not directly associated with the air display, but none the less because they are in the public domain they are noted and attached to that air display activity.
"This particular occurrence was not the result of display flying because an engine failure can occur at any stage in the course of a flight."
The Bournemouth Air Festival was the biggest event of its type this year, 800,000 visitors and £30m generated for the local economy.
The cause of the crash is still being investigated.