Aircraft’s emergency beach landing near Bridgend, pilot hospitalised

A small aircraft made an emergency landing on a beach close to Bridgend, after witnesses reported hearing the engine “spluttering” before the craft touched down near Porthcawl pavilion in Wales. The incident occurred around 9:20am, with paramedics attending to the pilot soon after. The Welsh Ambulance Service confirmed that one individual was taken to the hospital for further treatment.

Eyewitnesses at the scene mentioned that the pilot was being assisted by members of the public and was able to walk. An RNLI craft, along with lifeboats from Porthcawl and Port Talbot, were deployed to the scene, with the coastguard coordinating the emergency services response.

A spokesperson for the coastguard stated that a person was seen exiting the plane and making their way onto dry land. They added, “The coastguard search and rescue helicopter from St Athan was also alerted, as well as South Wales Police and the South Wales Fire and Rescue Service.”

The RNLI lifeboats were tasked with ensuring the aircraft was secure and would not pose a danger to navigation.

Chris Page from Porthcawl RNLI commented on the incident: “RNLI volunteer crews never quite know what to expect when the call for help comes. We are trained to deal with every eventuality, but were incredibly relieved to arrive on scene to find the pilot was able to be safely recovered. This was a real multi-agency effort between the fire service, the coastguard and the RNLI.”