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The passenger of a plane forced to make an emergency landing on Sidmouth beach after the engine failed had described the pilot as her hero.

Trudi Spiller, who accompanied pilot Zac Rockey on the flight, said the dramatic episode had left her with 'jelly legs' but from the moment the propeller stopped turning she had complete faith in the 'amazing pilot to land the light aircraft safely.

The episode unfolded on Saturday afternoon when the pair were enjoying a leisurely flight back from a vintage event in Bodmin. They were making their way back to Branscombe when suddenly the plane, a 1930s French light aircraft, started to lose power.

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Then the engine cut out completely and Zac, 47, had to find somewhere to land.

Trudi said: "We were just out for the day enjoying the flight back and were enjoying the flight.

"I was sat in the front seat. As we came around the cliffs it began to slow up then the next thing there was a total failure and the engine cut out. I turned around and called 'Zac' but of course you can't hear each other up there. He's looking out of the side of the plane and I started moving my arms telling people to get out of the way.

"I was slightly frightened. It wasn't like my life flashed before me or anything but I was thinking 'here we go'. But I also had absolute faith Zac would land it. He is an amazing, fantastic pilot and I had every confidence in him.

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"I gave a sigh of relief as we landed and got out quickly but afterwards I have to admit I had jelly legs.

"Zac was fantastic. He's my hero."

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The pilot said there wasn't much choice but to land on the beach. The nearest area for him to make an emergency stop was Jacob’s Ladder beach, which he did safely at about 5pm. Nobody was hurt and the plane wasn't damaged.

“You look for somewhere near something or people so that if there are complications you will be able to get help more easily.

“You know what - I have had better runways. It was not ideal.”

He added that all his training came into play as he dealt with the situation, which could have been a lot worse.

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After the landing Sidmouth Coastguards helped to tow the plane to a safe location about 300m along the beach.

It remained there overnight, as did Zac and Trudi, ready to be dismantled and taken away on Sunday.