A PILOT and his passenger escaped with minor injuries when their two-seater plane crashed into a garden in Eccles.

It is thought they were taking off from City Airport at Barton when they plummeted into Brookhouse Avenue, Peel Green, just yards from the M60.

The pair, one 19, the other in his early 20s, were taken to Salford Royal Hospital by paramedics following the crash just after midday today.

Their injuries were not life-threatening.

It is believed the plane was in the air for less than a minute before its engine failed and it hit the ground.

It passed over a number of rooftops before it crashed, not far from Junction 11 of the M60.

Lucky

The passenger pulled the pilot to safety before they both collapsed on the ground.

One firefighter said: "They were lucky to get out without a scratch. They must only have been in the air for 30 seconds. The plane came to rest on its side and the wings had come off.

"They did well to avoid the house and to get out of the plane."

No-one else was injured but the street was evacuated as a precaution.

The wreckage of the aircraft, which is registered to Mainair Microlight School based at City Airport, could be seen in the garden of the semi-detached house.

The house was empty at the time.

Damaged

A garden wall and railings were damaged. Overhead phone lines were also been broken by the crash landing, which took place less than a mile from City Airport.

A police spokesman said: "Police were called to Brookhouse Avenue to a report a small plane had collided with a garden wall.

"The two people inside the plane suffered minor injuries.

"Brookhouse Avenue is closed and residents in the road have been evacuated as a precaution. Emergency services are at the scene and inquiries are continuing."

A fire service spokesman said firefighters had helped make the scene safe and had gone into the house to see if anyone was inside.

Injuries 

An ambulance spokesman said two people were taken to Salford Royal Hospital with minor injuries.

One was placed on a spine board as a precaution and the other was treated for head injuries.

The residents in the Brookhouse Estate described how they heard a 'tremendous crash' shortly after midday.

The owner of the house in Brookhouse Avenue, Jimmy Robinson, was away on a fishing trip when he received a phone call from his nephew telling him of the crash.

Mr Robinson, a retired industrial painter, told of his shock at hearing of the crash.

He said: "I had been on a fishing trip for the day. I was just getting into it when I got a call telling me what had happened. I didn't believe it at first. Fortunately, no one was at home.

Bang

"My son, Tony, is over from America at the moment but he was out as well. It doesn't seem to have caused too much structural damage to the house and I'm insured in any case. It could have been a lot, lot worse."

Next-door neighbour Eddie Rogerson, 78, a retired milkman, said he had been making lunch when he heard a massive bang outside.

He said: "I heard a huge bang. We live just next to the motorway and you're always hearing crashes and accidents. I didn't think too much of it but 20 minutes later a policewoman was knocking at the door telling me to get out of the house."  

Another eyewitness, Angela Royle, 43, who was helping her father John, 69, move into a nearby property, told how she saw the aircraft descending.

She said: "I was just helping my dad in the garden and all of a sudden I saw the plane come across. I thought to myself 'that's far too low' and moments later I heard the bang and there was a very strong smell of petrol."

This afternoon preparations were being made to remove the aircraft from Mr Robinson's garden and nearby residents were expected to be allowed back into their homes.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch had been informed.

A spokesman for City Airport said the pilot had declared a Mayday shortly after take-off. He told air traffic controllers the plane’s engine had failed.

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