Pilot seriously injured in light aircraft crash near Reading
Royal Berkshire fire and rescue service say they released trapped pilot
Last updated 22nd Sep 2026
A pilot has suffered serious injuries in a plane crash near Reading.
He became trapped after his light aircraft flipped upside down while landing at an airstrip on a farm at Mapledurham late yesterday afternoon.
A spokesperson for south central ambulance said:
"We received a 999 call at 16:57 yesterday reporting a light aircraft had crashed at an airstrip on Whittles Farm, near Mapledurham, and the pilot was trapped inside.
"We responded with a rapid response vehicle, ambulance and the Thames Valley Air Ambulance critical care response vehicle, alongside RBFRS.
"The male pilot had sustained serious chest injuries in the crash and having been taken out of the wreckage, was stabilised at the scene before being taken in a serious condition to the major trauma centre at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford."
Firefighters helped free the trapped pilot.
A spokesperson for Royal Berkshire fire and rescue service said:
"At 5:04pm on Monday, 21 September, we received reports of an incident near Mapledurham.
"Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service crews from Wokingham Road, Bracknell and Theale fire stations were sent to the scene alongside two Officers, an offroad vehicle from Mortimer Fire Station and the Heavy Rescue Unit from Theale Community Fire Station.
"On arrival, crews discovered a light aircraft that had crash landed on its roof. Firefighters rescued one person from the aircraft before placing them in the care of South Central Ambulance Service and the Helicopter Emergency Medical Services.
"Crews were at the scene for approximately one hour and 10 minutes."
A spokesperson for the Air Accidents Investigation Branch said:
“An accident involving a light aircraft at Whittles Farm in Oxfordshire was reported to the AAIB yesterday. An investigation has been launched, and we have begun making enquiries.”