Cllr Huw David, the Leader of Bridgend County Borough Council, praised front-line emergency services for their fast response to an incident yesterday which saw a light aircraft crash in shallow waters just off Town Beach in Porthcawl.
Witnesses to the incident have described how they saw the plane ‘swoop into the water’ and overturn while the tide was still incoming at around 9.20am.
The pilot, who was travelling alone, was supported by crews from RNLI lifeboats which launched from both Porthcawl and Port Talbot as South Wales Police, the Welsh Ambulance Service and South Wales Fire And Rescue all arrived at the scene.
Three RNLI lifeboats ensured the aircraft was secure and would not become a danger to navigation, with Porthcawl’s Atlantic 85 lifeboat being assisted by the station’s D-class lifeboat and D-class lifeboat from Port Talbot.
Chris Page, RNLI Lifeboat Press Officer at Porthcawl said:
‘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, Police, ambulance service, the Coastguard and the RNLI.’
The RNLI shared the following video of the rescue:
Cllr David said: “I’d like to recognise and thank our frontline emergency services for their swift response to this morning’s incident in which a light aircraft crashed in shallow waters off the coast of Porthcawl.
“Thankfully, the pilot was safely recovered from the wreckage and is now receiving care and support.
“The scene of the crash has been secured to prevent it from becoming a danger to navigation, and the Air Accidents Investigation Branch is currently investigating the cause of the incident.
“While accidents such as this are thankfully rare, our emergency front-line services can always be relied upon to act quickly, and to provide effective help and support.”
Image credit: Porthcawl RNLI, all rights reserved.
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