A freak set of circumstances helped prevent disaster at Rochester Airport on Saturday .

Firefighters and the Kent Air Ambulance were called to the airfield after a two-seater plane overshot the runway during a training manoeuvre.

The speed of the Biggin Hill-based aircraft was reduced after a wheel struck a car in an area used for 999 drills.

The plane hurtled off the runway and ploughed through a bank of trees before grinding to a halt, three metres from the busy perimeter road.

Maidstone Road was shut for several hours as a precaution after fuel spilled close to the carriageway. Watch manager Martin Simmons, from Strood Fire Station, said: “The two people on board were very lucky.”

An investigation has been launched into the incident.

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