This is the dramatic moment after Paul Hollywood swooped in on his helicopter to help rescue a stricken pilot who had crashed his light aircraft into a farmer’s field.
The Great British Bake Off host was on a flying lesson at the time but was the first to answer a mayday call issued by the pilot.
Guided by his instructor, he hovered down to the field and landed before he and his trainer dashed over to help.
The pilot had managed to climb out of the wreckage, dazed and with cuts to his leg but otherwise not seriously hurt.
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, the pilot Iain Stingemore, 58, said: ‘I’d just climbed out of the plane after crash-landing and noticed someone walking over towards me.
‘As he got closer, I realised who it was and thought to myself ‘oh God it’s Paul Hollywood.
‘The first thing he said was ‘are you ok?’ and luckily enough I was.
‘He stayed with me for about half-an-hour checking over me and asking me if I needed anything. I was really grateful for that.
Paul Hollywood responded to a mayday call from another pilot while on a flying lesson in his helicopter
Pilot Iain Stingemore’s light aircraft plane crashed into a farmer’s field
To the pilot’s shock, Paul Hollywood responded to the mayday alert and arrived at the scene
Pilot Iain Stingemore, 58, told MailOnline about how the drama unfolded when his light aircraft came down in Kent
Paul Hollywood pictured receiving his MBE at Windsor Castle in 2024
‘He’d been on a flying lesson and when I got into difficulty, Manston Airport put a call-out for anyone nearby to help.
‘And it was Paul and his instructor who came to rescue me. I got speaking to him and told him that it was nice to meet him despite the circumstances.
‘I even joked it was a shame he didn’t bring any cakes. He was a great bloke, I couldn’t have asked for any more.’
Recalling the crash, Mr Stingemore, who has 130-flying hours after earning his pilot’s licence two years ago, added: ‘I’d taken off and banked to the right over the road but as I did so the canopy came loose and despite my best efforts to reattach, it slipped right out of my hands and flew off behind the aircraft.
‘I lost all air speed and just dropped.
‘I was lucky I didn’t panic because it took a couple of seconds to register what happened but I did all I could to get the plane into the wind and kept it as flat and level as I could to land.
The Great British Bake Off star rushed over to the pilot after the crash
‘There wasn’t a huge amount of damage fortunately and the landing was as clean as I could have hoped for.
‘I didn’t have any injuries save for a grazed leg and a bruised rib.’
Mr Stingemore had just taken off from Manston Airfield in Kent at 12.15pm this afternoon when the plane’s canopy snapped off forcing him to take emergency action.
A dog walker who was returning home and watched the drama unfold filmed the moment Hollywood arrived on the scene.
She told MailOnline today: ‘I couldn’t believe it was him who was the first on the scene.
‘He’d been having a helicopter lesson at the time and landed with his instructor in the field to see if they could help the pilot whose plane had just crash landed.
‘Paul was the first to answer the call-out and was there in just a couple of minutes. He looked a bit stunned but fortunately the pilot appeared to be in fairly good health – all things considered -and so he wasn’t dealing with a disaster.
‘I could see the pilot was walking-wounded – he had grazes on his legs and was obviously in shock but other than that I couldn’t see any serious injuries.
‘I’d already called the emergency services and I could see Paul pacing up and down on the phone himself by the wreckage.
‘Someone from Manston then arrived in a 4X4 and took the injured pilot away back to the airport.
A video shows the dramatic moment the Bake Off star arrived at the scene of the crash
Paul Hollywood has been learning to fly his helicopter since last summer when he purchased the aircraft
‘From what I understand, the paramedics were heading there to meet him as he wasn’t badly hurt.’
The 49-year-old mother of two, who was with her husband this afternoon, asked not to be named but added: ‘The crash looked quite dramatic. The plane took off but it was only in the air for a matter of seconds before the canopy broke off and went all over the road.
‘The plane went up slightly and then down and disappeared from view. We followed the direction it had headed and eventually saw the plane had made a crash landing in a nearby farmer’s field.
‘My husband ran over to check the pilot was ok while I dialled 999. Then Paul Hollywood landed in his helicopter. It was very surreal.’
Hollywood has been learning to fly his Robinson Raven chopper since last summer and has been landing the aircraft on a strip of land between his farmhouse and the local pub in the tranquil village of Smarden, Kent.
He is understood keep his helicopter at Manston Airport as he continues to work towards his private license, which is obtained after 45 hours of flight instruction consisting of 25 hours of dual flight instruction and 10 hours of supervised solo flight time, including at least five hours of solo cross country.
Five hours may be completed in an approved flight simulator.
Hollywood, who forked out £21,000 for sessions in a Second World War Spitfire, began training to become a pilot two years ago in a bid to escape the ‘madness’ of his celebrity life.
Paul Hollywood has appeared as a judge on Great British Bake Off since 2010
He explained at the time: ‘It’s just you, a machine, and you’re away from all the madness. Of course I’m a bit nervous. But up there you’ve got total freedom.’
Flight records show that Paul has been flying solo across the UK.
He is even said to have installed a windsock in his garden to monitor flying conditions.
There are concerns among locals, however, that his plans to use the helicopter to travel to the Bake Off tent for filming could increase the disturbance.
Hollywood has been a judge on the hit TV show Great British Bake Off since it started in 2010, co-hosting firstly with Dame Mary Berry and then Dame Prue Leith.
The star was awarded an MBE at Windsor Castle for his services to baking and broadcasting last April.
