An aircraft which crashed on to a busy Clacton road missed the landing strip because of pilot error, an inquiry revealed.

Investigations showed the pilot of the Cessna Skyhawk lost sight of the town's airfield boundary and overshot the runway when he tried to land.

The plane ploughed through a hedge on to West Road and crashed into a lamppost, leaving one person needing hospital treatment for slight injuries.

Four people were on board when the light aircraft crashed at about 4.30pm on August 4.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said that the 54-year-old pilot made a "very frank and helpful" report where he outlined several factors which he felt contributed to the accident.

He felt he had been too concerned about noise disturbance as he approached the runway and tried to pull out of the landing too late.

Published Friday October 11, 2002

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