A PILOT with nerves of steel managed to safely land a powered hang glider last Tuesday despite the propeller falling off mid-flight.

The hang glider was guided to safety, minus its propeller, by the pilot who landed in a field near Riverside Drive in Chippenham.

The propeller, which was about a metre in length, came off the glider as it was flying over Chippenham and fell onto a house on Esmead, damaging the roof tiles.

A couple inside the property at the time were unhurt.

PC Andy Ross said: “It came over the radio as an air emergency, a glider’s propeller had fallen off and we didn’t know where the pilot had gone.

“It was lucky in that we were guided to the general area and people on the river pointed us in the right direction. It’s the first one I have ever done; it’s certainly not a common occurrence.”

A member of the public witnessed the propeller coming off the hang glider at around 7.30pm last Tuesday (June 23) and immediately reported the incident to police.

Police tracked down the pilot, who is believed to have travelled from Bushton near Lyneham, who was unharmed by the controlled descent.