A PILOT had an incredible escape when his aircraft crashed into a field and flipped upside down.

The 59-year-old man walked away from the wreckage with only bruises after the accident, which happened near a stately home at about 2pm.

Police said the pilot got into difficulties as he flew along the Northumberland coastline yesterday afternoon. His engine cut out over the village of Seaton Sluice and he was forced to land in a wheatfield near Delaval Hall, which is a stately home.

Walkers saw the plane losing height and the emergency services were called.

Police vehicles, ambulances and fire engines drove across fields to reach the scene, but when they arrived, they found the pilot had escaped.

Paramedics treated his injuries and he was able to joke with emergency crews as they helped him lift the microlight aircraft onto its wheels.

The man, from East Boldon, South Tyneside, did not want to be named but said: "I wasn't scared. I was more upset about the damage to the aircraft."

A police spokesman said: "He had a lucky escape and only suffered a few bruises."

The Air Accident Investigation Branch of the Department of Transport will investigate the crash, which happened in a field next to a track popular with cyclists and walkers.