A LIGHT AIRCRAFT had a lucky escape as it managed to safely crash-land in Co Kilkenny after it came into difficulty with its engine.

No injuries have been reported according to gardaí, who have preserved the scene pending an investigation by the Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU).

Two people, a pilot and a passenger, were on board at the time of the incident this afternoon.

A photo of the incident shows the nose of the plane covered in mud after its landing.

The aircraft was carrying out a routine training flight towards Waterford when its pilot “experienced a rough-running engine”, according to the Cork-based Atlantic Flight Training Academy.

The pilot of the Cessna 172 was able to navigate towards landing in a field near an old creamery in Carrigeen in the south of the county, near Waterford city.

“He informed Air Traffic Control in Waterford and advised that he had identified a suitable landing site in close proximity,” a spokesperson for the Atlantic Flight Training Academy told The Journal.

The pilot was able to land in a “suitable grass field, in accordance with standard operation procedures” the spokesperson added.

It comes only weeks after a man died in a small aircraft plane crash nearby on the outskirts of Tramore in Co Waterford.