Newmarket: Man Has A Heart Attack While Flying A Plane

24 February 2014, 11:50 | Updated: 24 February 2014, 12:40

A man, believed to be in his 60s, suffered a heart attack while flying a microlight plane in Newmarket at the weekend.

He managed to land the plane safely in an airfield after it happened on Saturday, and someone nearby called for an ambulance.

The man was taken to West Suffolk hospital for treatment.

One of the paramedics that treated the pilot at the scene, Dale Boulston said: "While we were assessing the patient he went into cardiac arrest. We worked to resuscitate him and were fortunately able to get a return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), which means his heart started beating normally again.

"We took him to West Suffolk General for further treatment and I was able to visit him in hospital yesterday. He is doing incredibly well, already sitting up and talking to his family which is quite unusual for the day after a cardiac arrest."

A spokesperson for the East of England Ambulance Service Trust added: "The man was incredibly lucky that he was able to land the plane when he did as if he had suffered the cardiac arrest while flying, it would have been very dangerous for both himself and possibly people on the ground as he wouldn't have been able to land it safely.

"When someone suffers a cardiac arrest, it's vital that they have CPR and defibrillation as soon as possible, and it this case the crew were able to administer the life-saving treatment immediately. We'd like to wish the patient all the best with his recovery."

East Anglian Air Ambulance also attended the scene.