A MODEL plane crashed during its debut flight onto railway tracks in Warrington before being hit by a passing train.

The aircraft came down near to Kenyon Hall Farm Airfield in north Warrington according to a report released by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB).

Fortunately nobody was hurt in the incident which took place in the afternoon in September last year.

The F4 Scale Phantom, which weighed 6.4kg when it took over is a 1:10 scale flying model of the famous McDonnel Douglas F4 Phantom jet aircraft.

The report said the plane took over as normal and the 72-year-old pilot reported no issues.

But during a turn the aircraft suddenly veered to the right and espite the pilot applying corrective aileron inputs, the aircraft did not respond and control was lost.

It subsequently stalled, entered a spin and disappeared out of sight below a tree line.

The model aircraft was later found to have come to rest on a railway track next to the airfield, close to a pedestrian crossing, and was subsequently run over by a passing train. The wreckage was recovered by the pilot and other club members.

The model aircraft was destroyed the report states.

Following the incident, the model flying club carried out an internal safety investigation which found preparation for the flight was performed in accordance with club procedures, the AAIB report said.

The club has since amended its procedures to require any turbine-powered model to be approved by the club committee before it can be flown.

Network Rail confirmed the plane was so small it could not have caused a derailment.

This was the first aircraft to have crashed on the railway in over seven years of the club running and it carries out about 6,500 flights per year, the report said.

The BMFA and Network Rail's Air Operations team issued guidance relating to railway safety threats for unmanned and model aircraft operators to be included in members' handbook.