A small plane made an emergency landing in a field near Rottingdean this lunchtime.
Emergency services were seen rushing through Rottingdean towards Peacehaven after being called at about 12.30pm.
But fortunately the plane was able to land safety and there were no casualties.
Danny Butler was first on the scene after seeing the plane in the field as he drove past. He said: “I was driving up the lane, saw him get out of plane and thought that’s not meant to be where it is!
“He was flying solo and flying back to Shoreham. He said that unfortunately he smashed the propeller in the landing, but that was all.
“He then got his sandwiches out and a coffee – he said what else can I do?”
The owner of the plane, Jez Hopkinson, said it had been on a delivery flight to the Netherlands when it experienced engine failure.
He said: “We don’t know what’s happened. It had a rough running engine and it stopped and the pilot put it down safely in a field.
“These light aircraft very rarely have engine failure. The pilots are incredibly well trained and he did an absolutely textbook forced landing which is what we would expect him to do.
“They’re ex soviet era aircraft – they were designed to land on the undercarriage.”
The plane had been flying east along the coast before turning back over Peacehaven at about 12.25pm. It landed in the field off Bazehill Road shortly afterwards.
A spokeswoman for East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service said: “We were called at 12.31 on 2 December 2025 to reports that a light aircraft has landed in a field near Saltdean.
“Our crews were sent to Falmer Road, Rottingdean.
“Our crews have made contact with the pilot. There are no casualties and crews have made the scene safe.
“We are standing down our other crews who were on their way to the scene.”
A police spokeswoman said: “Officers are investigating the incident with the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) to establish the full circumstances.
“No further information is available at this time.”
Flight records show the plane, a Yakovlev Yak-52, had taken off from Henstridge Airfield, in Dorset.
