A PILOT narrowly avoided disaster when he landed his ailing light aircraft in a field near Ross-on-Wye, a new report has revealed.

The self-build Fred Series plane dodged hay bales, telephone wires and trees as its pilot carried out the emergency landing last August.

Despite a heavy landing and damage to the aircraft's undercarriage no one was injured, according to the official report by the Air Accident Investigation Bureau.

The drama in the Herefordshire skies began shortly after the plane had taken off on a flight aimed at revalidating its permit to fly.

The report says that at a height of about 350ft, the engine began to misfire and the pilot prepared to make an emergency landing.

But as he circled the field the engine suddenly accelerated and full power was restored. The pilot then climbed away and after regaining some height decided to return to the airstrip.

As the aircraft turned, the problem returned worse than before. At this point he was about 650ft above the bottom of the valley and, due to rising ground around him, only had a limited number of options available.

With little choice, the pilot - who is unnamed in the report - was forced to land in a field containing numerous obstacles, chiefly bales of hay, two sets of telephone wires and a line of trees.

Subsequent checks carried out to the aircraft's engine and fuel system have not revealed the cause of the problem and further examination is planned by the owner of the plane.