The pilot and passenger of a light aircraft had a lucky escape after their plane crash landed into the River Derwent.

The incident happened on Saturday afternoon at about 4.10pm, when the two-seater Robin 2160 came down close to the village of Aughton near Bubwith, after taking off from Sherburn Aero Club near Sherburn in Elmet.

Air club director Richard Maxted said: “We have absolutely no idea what happened. At the moment the aeroplane is still upside down in the River Derwent.

“We are working out how to get it out of the river and we know there is currently no leak from the aircraft.

“An aeroplane inverted in the water is not something you see everyday, thank God, and at this stage we can’t even specify what has happened.”

Mr Maxted said he believed the two people who were in the aeroplane had now been released from hospital.

The pair were said to have released themselves by the time fire and rescue teams arrived, and were taken to hospital by air ambulance after being treated at the scene by paramedics.

Police and air crash investigators are now examining the circumstances surrounding the incident.