A STUDENT pilot gained a crash course in flying when his microlight aircraft was forced to make a crash landing.

The student and instructor walked away from the craft unscathed.

The incident took place in Leominster in May this year, according to the newly published air-crash report.

The Quik GT450 microlight was cruising along at 1,500 ft and had been flying for 30 minutes before the engine suddenly died.

The instructor immediately took control and prepared for a forced landing in a field ahead.

The quick-thinking instructor was forced to avoid tall trees and a hedge and then had to fly over power lines before landing.

Despite the instructor's best efforts, the microlight hit a fallen tree as it landed which caused significant damage to the craft, the report states.

The report was unable to identify what caused the aircraft's engine to fail suddenly.

The instructor and student pilot were not named in the report.