A PILOT had an astonishing escape yesterday when his light aircraft crashed into the side of a mountain en route to the North-East.

The Austrian was on a flight between Inverness and Newcastle when the Cessna came down in low cloud.

Grampian Police received a report from the Air Co-ordination and Rescue Centre, at RAF Kinloss, at about 10.30am that the aircraft had crashed five miles south of Ballater, Aberdeenshire, 750 metres up a mountainside.

Sergeant Gav Thornton, at RAF Kinloss Rescue Co-ordination Centre, said the pilot was lucky to be alive.

He said: "By all accounts, he is very lucky to have escaped with his life.

"He hit the side of the mountain in a high-impact crash, so he is very lucky to get out with the injuries he has."

The pilot received minor injuries and was able to use his mobile phone to contact emergency services in Austria, who then contacted the UK.

The rescue operation was hampered by low cloud, but members of Braemar Mountain Rescue team reached the man at 2.15pm. He was then flown to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.

Grampian Police said the aircraft was destroyed in the crash.

It is understood the Cessna had been bought in the US. The pilot had been to America to collect the plane and was on his way back to Austria. He had landed in the Shetlands, before flying on to Inverness and was on his way to Newcastle, from where he had planned to complete the last leg of his flight.

A Newcastle International Airport spokesman said: "Our air traffic control received notification that there had been a crash.

"But we had not been notified of the aircraft's intention to fly to Newcastle. That is quite typical as aircraft do not tend to notify air traffic control in advance."