Pilot rescued after Channel ditching

A PILOT was rescued yesterday after a light aircraft ditched in the English Channel, coastguards said.

The plane, which did not have any passengers, came down after suffering reported engine failure off the south Kent coast yesterday afternoon.

The pilot was found floating in the water wearing a yellow life jacket and suffering from mild hypothermia.

A Dover Coastguard spokesman said: "It would appear he landed the plane and got out. He was wearing a life jacket which is a sensible precaution if flying over water.

"The jacket enabled him to be spotted, along with the good weather conditions. Everything was in his favour."

The coastguard's emergency towing vessel, the tug Anglian Monarch and a spotter aircraft attended the scene to pinpoint the wreckage.

A patch of fuel was reported, but it is likely the aircraft may have since sunk or remains floating under the surface of the water, Dover Coastguard said.