A light aircraft crashed into Whitecliff Bay Holiday Park on the Isle of Wight in the afternoon on a recent day, leading to a significant fireball and smoke emissions visible from nearby areas. The incident occurred shortly before 2.30pm, prompting an immediate response from emergency services.

Two individuals were on board the aircraft at the time of the crash and, according to the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, both suffered minor injuries. Eyewitness James Lowe, a sales manager from Horsham in Sussex and head coach for a local under-13s rugby club, described the moment of the crash, stating, “We were outside the restaurant at the top of the holiday park watching our kids playing archery,” when he observed the plane overhead. He noted, “The engine cut out... they then turned back to the airport but lost a lot of altitude and we could see it was going to crash into the holiday park. Myself and another Dad ran to help. Thank goodness the pilot and passenger had been pulled to safety.”

Firefighters from Newport and Ryde were dispatched to the scene and arrived shortly after the call. Upon their arrival, they found that the aircraft had sustained extensive damage due to the crash and the subsequent fire. Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Services confirmed that all occupants had safely exited the aircraft prior to their arrival.

Inspector Alex Dale provided further details regarding the flight path of the aircraft, indicating that it had taken off from Bembridge Airport and, after banking around, collided with a chimney before crashing near the chalets of the holiday park. Bystanders reportedly rushed to assist the two individuals before emergency services could intervene.

An ambulance plane also attended the scene, but the Isle of Wight NHS Trust confirmed that no patients were transported to hospitals as a result of the incident. The fire service indicated that the individuals involved were treated by paramedics on-site, and efforts to extinguish the fire involved the use of a hose reel jet and a thermal imaging camera. Firefighters concluded their operations and returned to their stations at approximately 3.45pm.

Despite the crash, the holiday park remained operational, and police officers reported that no roads in the vicinity were closed following the incident.

Source: Noah Wire Services