'Kudos' for pilot who landed plane safely on A40 near Cheltenham

Witnesses who saw a light aircraft make an emergency landing on a dual carriageway have congratulated the pilot for making a smooth landing.

The plane landed on the central reservation of the A40 Golden Valley, close to Churchdown, near Cheltenham after a suspected engine failure.

No cars collided with the plane and no-one was injured.

One witness said: "Kudos to the pilot. He did an amazing job of getting it down safely. Dead on the centre line."

Gloucestershire Police said the plane - which remained intact - landed shortly before 18:00 BST on Thursday.

The Air Accident Investigation has launched an investigation into the incident

Darren Bell, from Cheltenham, was on the bypass at the time and said that although it was a "bizarre" thing to witness, it was a very smooth landing.

"I was driving down and I heard this engine, looked in the mirror and there's a big yellow aeroplane coming down the side of the central reservation," he said.

"It was dead on the centre line, absolutely bang on."

A light aircraft has made a forced landing on the A40 in Gloucestershire

Joel Phillips, who also witnessed the landing, said: "We saw quite a few police cars and ambulances on the scene.

"It's quite an interesting thing to see because there's been no damage on the central reservation.

"The plane looks fine, the bridge looks fine. It must have been quite a low landing to come in."

Specialist equipment was used to lift the plane off the carriageway and the road was opened shortly after 20:00.

The aircraft is a single engine Fournier with two seats. It was manufactured in 1976.

The Air Accident Investigation Branch has confirmed it has launched an investigation into the emergency landing.