A light aircraft pilot has survived a crash into the water off Whitesands, near St Davids.

Just before 1:15pm today HM Coastguard received multiple 999 calls reporting a light aircraft crash landing into shallow water off Whitesands.

The police, Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue, and the RNLI joined the Caostguard in the operation.

Tivyside Advertiser:

PICTURE:  Jemeima Richardson.

A group of six or seven people rushed over to the plane as it crashed into the water to help the pilot escape.

Ben Taylor and Andy Swann, currently on holiday from Norfolk were the first two people at the pilot's side.

"We were having lunch by a wind breaker and you could just see the plane come down around the cliffs," said Andy, who serves in the RAF.

"He was obviously in trouble. He told us there was no power in the plane. We just ran over and Ben was the first there."

Ben, a mechanical engineer, added: "He had banged his head quite bad and cut his nose but he was okay. He seemed in shock mainly."

Tivyside Advertiser:

Ben Taylor and Andy Swann. PICTURE: Western Telegraph

RNLI lifeguard Luke Evans, 23, was first of the emergency services at the scene, along with colleagues Noah Harvatt, 22, and 18-year-old Mylo Houston-Sine.

Twenty-year-old Matty McLoud ran the communications and alerted the Coastguard.

Luke said: "I looked over and saw that the plane was only five metres from the water so it was obvious what was happening.

"The pilot was badly shaken and had some facial and head injuries, but was still conscious and able to communicate.

"We assessed him and then were able to help him up the beach back to the lifeguard unit where we gave him oxygen and waited for the ambulance to arrive."

Tivyside Advertiser:

PICTURE: St Davids B&B.

A spokesman for the Welsh Ambulance Service told the Western Telegraph: "We were called at approximately 1.20pm today (Tuesday September 4, 2018) to an incident at Whitesands, St Davids, Pembrokeshire. We responded with one emergency ambulance and an air ambulance."

Tivyside Advertiser:

PICTURE: Ella Richardson Photography.

Tivyside Advertiser:

The plane was later recovered with help from a Telehandler owned by the Richardson family of nearby Pencarnan farm.

Jemeima Richardson said: "I was at work and my brother shouted my name and said a plane was going to crash.

"It was low enough that you could have thrown a tennis ball through the window."

The family rushed to the beach with the Telehandler, and Jemeima's brother Ben drove it, pulling the plane up Whitesands beach to the boat ramp at the bottom of the car park.

Emergency services have left the plane at the ramp before deciding how to carry it away from the beach.