The former UK Independence Party (UKIP) leader Nigel Farage
has been injured in a plane crash in Northamptonshire.
The plane carrying two people crashed at Hinton in the Hedges Airfield at Steane, near Brackley, at 0759 BST.
A Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman said Mr Farage and the pilot were freed from the wreckage.
Mr Farage was taken to hospital in Banbury with non-life threatening injuries, and the pilot was transferred to University Hospital in Coventry.
The pilot, who was trapped in the wreckage and had to be airlifted to hospital, is believed to be more seriously injured.
East Midlands Ambulance Service and fire crews remain at the scene.
We've had unconfirmed reports that either the banner got snagged up, or there were cross-winds and it was unfamiliar airfield to the pilot. UKIP spokesman |
Chris Adams, UKIP parliamentary candidate for Aylesbury, said: "Nigel was unconscious but he can talk.
"He's been coming in and out of consciousness and is now being X-rayed."
He said he had spoken to an aviation expert who said the banner could not have got caught up in the tail fin.
The aircraft was due to circle over Buckingham, where Mr Farage is standing as a candidate, trailing a banner, a UKIP spokesman said.
Mike Jose, Mr Farage's assistant, said they had previously flown the plane and banner over the constituency without any problems.
A UKIP spokesman said: "We've had unconfirmed reports that either the banner got snagged up, or there were cross-winds and it was unfamiliar airfield to the pilot."
The aircraft, had flown into the airfield from Winchester area and was taking off again when the accident happened, the spokesman said.
The airfield has now been closed.
The incident is due to be investigated by the Air Accident Investigation Branch, Northamptonshire Police said.
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+++ Developing +++ According to UKIP sources a two seater plane used by Nigel Farage was circling to land in Buckingham when it crashed. Farage is injured but“walked out of the plane”. The pilot is/was being cut out. UPDATE : Farage has been taken to the Horton General Hospital in Banbury. The pilot is being taken to a specialist spinal injuries hospital in Coventry. UPDATE : II From wire report: Eyewitnesses told how the pilot and Mr Farage were in the front seat of the plane when it banked and the promotional banner became tangled around the tail fin causing it to plummet to the ground. Guido and the rest of the Guy News team send their best wishes for a speedy recovery. UPDATE : III From the BBC: A very lucky escape by the looks of it.+ + + Source : Farage in Ambulance + + +
+ + + Pilot Being Cut Out of Wreckage + + +