Three people miraculously escape from helicopter crash

The accident happened in Aspley Guise at around 10am yesterday morning.

The chopper, carrying two female passengers to a funeral in Sussex, flipped on to its side when an engine fault forced the pilot to do an emergency landing on farm land close to Junction 13.

“The passengers are very lucky to be alive,” said Inspector Tracey Day at the crash site.

“It’s usually quite unlikely you are going to get to a helicopter crash and find you have got survivors.

“I was very pleased when I got there to find three people with cuts and bruises, but everyone had walked away relatively unscathed.”

Five police cars and a fire engine scoured the area for the wreckage when the pilot called for help moments after the crash.

The survivors kicked their way out of the helicopter before emergency services arrived. They were checked over by paramedics, but did not require treatment for their injuries.

Police then escorted the passengers to their home in Salford. They later travelled to the funeral by road.