Barton Aerodrome plane crash leaves man fighting for life as public told 'stay away'

A plane has crashed at an airport in Greater , leaving two people "seriously injured" after the aircraft flipped upside down and "snapped in two pieces" with "fuel leaking" amongst the debris.

, paramedics and raced to Barton Aerodrome in Eccles, Salford at around 5.30pm - minutes after the small aircraft went down after stalling at the end of the runway. Lee Parry, a firefighter at Leigh told the that the was said to be "upside down" with "fuel leaking" and debris scattered around the crash site. He said: "Firefighters from the technical response unit at Leigh were called to Barton Aerodrome to reports of a The plane is said to be upside down. Two people are seriously injured. Fuel is leaking and there is debris around the area."

Another unnamed witness described the moment the plane "snapped" in two as it plummeted to the ground not long after taking off, reports. They said: "The plane taxied down the runway and upon reaching the end of the runway there was a loud pop sound, and the engine cut-off after the plane had already taken off and was about two or three metres in the air.

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"It continued to coast at a really low altitude before the wing struck the ground on one side. It then rolled over completely upside down and the plane snapped into two pieces. They then sounded an alarm and over the course of the next five to 10 minutes around 20 or so emergency vehicles arrived including police fire and ambulance."

Greater Police confirmed two men were rushed to Salford Royal Hospital, one with life-threatening injuries, and another who has suffered "potentially life-changing" injuries. The force said in a statement: "Emergency services are currently responding to a plane crash at Barton Aerodrome. Two men have been taken to hospital, one with life-threatening injuries and another with potentially life-changing injuries. A scene is in place whilst emergency service workers conduct their enquiries and people are asked to avoid the area."

A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said: "At around 5.30pm today three fire engines from across Greater Manchester and the technical response unit attended an aircraft crash at Barton Aerodrome, Eccles. Firefighters arrived quickly and assisted Greater Manchester Police, North West Ambulance Service and the airport fire service in making the area safe and helping two casualties out of the aircraft. Both casualties were transferred into the care of North West Ambulance Service and transferred to Salford Royal Hospital. Crews were in attendance for roughly one hour."

Members of the public have been urged to avoid the area whilst crime scene investigators continue combing the scene. The crash, which happened at around 5:30pm, has left one of the casualties fighting for his life in hospital. According to GMFRS, three fire engines attended the incident and remained on scene for around an hour.

Barton Aerodrome said: "Today at 5.07pm an aircraft accident occurred within the Barton Aerodrome boundary, the AAIB have been informed and are carrying out an investigation. Our onsite RFFS attended the incident and have worked alongside external emergency services. The two persons on board the aircraft have been taken to hospital via road ambulance. Further details will be provided when available."