AN incident in which a plane missed the runway of a North Yorkshire airfield caused the aircraft “significant damage”, an accident investigation has found.

Air accident monthly bulletins detail how a private plane with one person on board was too low when it approached the runway of Bagby Airfield in Thirsk and landed in a field.

While the plane was badly damaged in the landing, the male pilot escaped the accident without injuries.

The report states: “He applied power but touched down in the field short of the threshold.

“The field and transition to the runway were not smooth, resulting in significant aircraft damage.

“The pilot was uninjured.”

The pilot later said that he had been distracted by another aircraft he believed may get in the way of his landing, the monthly bulletin said.

The government report said: “He stated that he was distracted trying to make contact with another aircraft which he believed was intending to taxi across the runway.

“He later found that the other pilot was aware of him and had stopped clear of the runway, but was temporarily out of radio contact.”

The runway also has an up slope which can create the illusion of being higher on approach.

The 60-year-old was an experienced pilot with 2,299 hours of flying experience when the accident happened on September 11, 2016.

He had been flying a 1976 Piper Cherokee Lance, the report details.

The crash landing happened at 8.20pm and the pilot observed that the runway edge lighting was good but lacked threshold lighting which might have been helpful. This is not a requirement expected of the airfield.

Bagby Airfield is used by hobby pilots, high-profile jockeys and utility repair firms.