A hero pilot pulled his plane out of a terrifying North Sea nosedive with just seven seconds to spare.

The plane began to plunge after it was struck by lightning, but autopilot ignored the pilot’s commands to climb and tried to crash the plane into the sea.

The airliner pitched down, falling at 9,500ft a minute, and fell to just 1,100ft above the ocean before its commander wrestled back control just moments before it was about to crash into the icy water.

The Loganair flight was just seconds from crashing into the north sea before its commander saved the day

The 42-year-old pilot put out a Mayday emergency signal before regaining control and saving his 30 passengers and three crew just moments before the plane plunged into the sea.

The island-hopping Loganair flight from Aberdeen to Shetland was put off its approach by thunderstorms, snow, hail and 70mph winds on the evening of December 15.

A ball of lightning then appeared outside the cockpit and a lightning bolt struck the Saab 2000 plane’s nose, and then travelled the full length of the aircraft before leaving its tail.

The aircraft landed safely in Aberdeen with only minor damage and no injuries.

An AAIB probe discovered that the autopilot on the Loganair Saab 2000 G-LGNO had remained engaged and the pilot’s actions were countered by the system, causing the dive.