Littleborough, United Kingdom. A light aircraft crashed on farmland near the M62 in Littleborough, Rochdale, prompting an emergency response and reports that one person evacuated using a parachute that became caught on a pylon. Two people are believed to have been travelling in the plane.
Emergency response and police statement
Police, firefighters and an air ambulance were sent to farmland close to the M62 following the crash. Greater Manchester Police said officers were in attendance to establish the circumstances and assess any casualties, adding that a scene was in place while emergency service workers conducted enquiries and that people were asked to avoid the area.
Parachute report and social media image
A BBC report said one person was understood to have evacuated using a parachute that became caught on a pylon. An image shared on social media showed what appeared to be a parachute caught on a nearby pylon.
Flight tracking information
According to Flight Radar, which monitors air traffic, the downed aircraft was a small Cirrus SR 20 that took off from Birmingham before losing altitude.
Air ambulance movements
The air ambulance was called to the scene in Tunshill Lane, just off Kiln Lane and close to Tunshill Golf Club, and later landed at Salford Royal Hospital.
Witness accounts
Pete Robinson said he was feeding his sheep when he heard sirens and saw a “massive response going up Blackstone Edge,” and later saw what he thought was a paraglider on the moor edge, with engines and lights in the area. Robinson said he saw response teams running up the track to the pylon and described the wind conditions as “horrendous” on the moor edge.
Stephanie Mills from Dickey Steps Riding School told BBC Radio Manchester that there were many emergency vehicles in the area and that a large yellow parachute could be seen attached to the pylon.
What updates have police and emergency services provided about casualties and the aircraft’s occupants?
