A DISASTER was narrowly avoided when a light aircraft crashed onto a busy road near Stroud yesterday.

Further information has now been released about the incident which happened around 4.45pm yesterday, Tuesday, on the A419 near Aston Down airfield.

It has emerged that the pilot and his passenger miraculously escaped serious injury.

No one else was injured and despite crashing on the busy road no other vehicle was hit when the plane careered through a hedgerow before coming to a halt in front of startled motorists.

It was a close-call as panicking drivers could easily have caused a further crash or ploughed into the craft, a two-seater motorised glider with a propeller.

The Grob 109B craft crashed onto the Stroud side of the road with images online showing the two shocked occupants - both qualified pilots - in the cockpit with a queue of traffic behind them on the other carriageway.

Photographs show how the plane had dragged undergrowth onto the road and one wing had snapped off.

Drivers rushed to help and called the emergency services.

More information has now been released about what happened.

The pilot and passenger, both men, were taken to hospital by ambulance to be checked over but do not appear to have suffered serious injuries.

An air ambulance arrived at the scene but was not needed.

Police closed the A419 by the airfield overnight while the craft was removed with the road reopening this morning.

An investigation is now underway to determine the cause of the crash, which caused rush hour tailbacks due to the road closure.

The pair onboard were both members of the Cotswold Gliding Club which is based at Aston Down airfield and were returning to land when they crashed.

A spokesperson for the Cotswold Gliding Club said: "A Grob 109B two-seater motor glider from the Cotswold Gliding Club was involved in an incident while landing from a local flight.

"The two occupants, who are both qualified pilots, suffered some injuries and were taken by ambulance to hospital to be checked over.

"The A419 road past Aston Down airfield was closed overnight to permit removal of the aircraft.

"The incident is currently under investigation by the Air Accident Investigation Branch of the Department for Transport, the British Gliding Association and the local police."

An Air Accident Investigation Branch spokesperson said: “We were notified of a light aircraft accident in Gloucestershire and a team of inspectors has been deployed to commence an investigation.”

A Gloucestershire police spokesperson said: “There were two occupants on board who were assessed by the ambulance service, and it is understood that no other vehicles were involved.

"Both men were taken to hospital. The glider has been moved and the road reopened earlier today.”