Pilot describes how aircraft parachute saved his life

Jonathan Cobb piloted a Cirrus SR22 which crash landed into a field near Benington, Hertfordshire, on Saturday

A pilot has described how the swift deployment of a plane's parachute system saved his life when his aircraft's engine failed.

Jonathan Cobb piloted a Cirrus SR22 when it crash landed in a field near Benington, Hertfordshire, on Saturday.

The plane had taken off from North Weald airfield, near Harlow, when an engine problem developed and black smoke billowed out of the aircraft.

He told the BBC his rigorous safety training had saved his life.

Jonathan Cobb had been flying a friend to an airfield near Sheffield for a birthday meal

Experienced pilot Mr Cobb, a sales and marketing director from St Albans, said he had been travelling with a friend, also a pilot, to an airfield near Sheffield to take him for a birthday meal.

"We had an engine failure and I took the instant decision to turn around to North Weald. Within seconds... smoke was coming out. I made the decision to deploy the parachute," he said.

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"I did the training with Cirrus which is quite intensive and has an emphasis on utilising the parachute. The company insists it should be an automatic decision."

He said the parachute was deployed at about 1,200 ft (365m) from the ground.

An air ambulance and paramedics were "scrambled to the site" of the crash landing

"What I can see is the ground rushing up on me. We descended to the ground, it was pretty hairy," he said.

"I had some angels looking after me. The most incredible thing is that - and we are pinching ourselves about it - we were not hurt at all, given the crash," he said.

He praised the response on the ground which saw an air ambulance and paramedics "scrambled to the site".

"They [the paramedics] were astounded we were actually alive," he said.

"I spoke to my instructor. I said the intense training he had put me through to understand how the parachute works had probably saved our lives."

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch has been sent details of the incident and will investigate.

According to the Cirrus Owners and Pilots Association, since first being approved for use in 1998 the parachute system has been deployed 75 times and 158 people have survived as a result, with only one fatality.