A witness has described how a pilot managed to survive after a light aircraft crashed into the sea off the South Wales coast earlier today.
Pictures from the scene showed a small red and white plane in shallow water, between the lifeboat station and the Seabank Hotel at Porthcawl.
A resident living near to the incident said she looked outside her window to see an upside-down aircraft.
Speaking to the BBC, Margaret Kendrick said: "He was very lucky where it landed, I walked out of my house and saw a red shape. Somebody not far away saw it coming down, all of a sudden the plane was quiet and the engine went off."
Another person who arrived at the scene shortly after the crash said people rushed to help the pilot who exited the plane and was "okay apart from some scratches", Wales Online reports.
Michelle Harris, of Mint Hairdressing in Porthcawl, said the plane "flipped as it was landing".
She said: "I don't know whether it was engine failure or petrol or something else but I know that the plane flipped as it was landing.
"We're just across from it so we could see all the drama. There was only one person in the plane and the guy was being cut out of it by the fire brigade when I went over.
"The water was only waist high so he’s very lucky. He's got a few cuts and scratches and he looks a bit shaken but he's fine thankfully. The place was full of ambulances, fire engines, you name it."
Elliot Jones, 28, told Mail Online that it was "a miracle" that the pilot escaped and the crash did not wound other people.
He said: "The plane was low as it flew over the houses. If it hadn't had turned back out to the sea, he could have exploded some houses and killed some people. It was a miracle."
He added he was taking his dogs for a walk when he saw the plane fly over and it appeared to be "struggling" moments before he crashed.
He added: "The plane then disappeared towards the sea. Once I got round the corner, I saw it was upside down in the water by the rocks. I couldn't believe it."
Porthcawl RNLI and Coastguard crews were on the scene, and were joined by members of the police, fire and ambulance services.
In a statement, the RNLI said it received a callout at 9.22am and the pilot was seen by paramedics.
Eyewitnesses reported hearing the plane’s engine “spluttering” before seeing it crash land.
Onlooker Terry Sinnett, who saw the incident unfold, tweeted: "Looks like a small aircraft has come down in Porthcawl. Pilot being attended by public but was walking. Hoping everyone is safe."
He later tweeted: "Think I saw pilot being helped away from sea by the emergency services.
"Seems pilot has had a miraculous escape, thankfully."
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, the Coastguard and the RNLI."
