Pilot badly hurt in Moray crash after engine suddenly stopped

The crash happened in July last year

A pilot was badly injured when his light aircraft crashed in Moray after the engine stopped suddenly, a report has revealed.

The plane broke in two when it hit the ground shortly after taking off from Easterton Airfield at Birnie, near Elgin, in July last year.

The 55-year-old pilot was then flown to hospital by air ambulance.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said loss of power was possibly due an ignition system interruption.

The AAIB report said the pilot had begun a left turn to avoid trees ahead, but the aircraft stalled in the turn and struck the ground.

• Police investigating light aircraft crash in Elgin

The aircraft broke up and the pilot suffered serious injuries.

He later estimated the time from the engine failure to hitting the ground was between eight and 10 seconds.

He believed he was unconscious and when he regained consciousness he managed to release his harness and was then able to crawl clear of the wreckage.

No definitive cause for the engine failure was determined.