A HELICOPTER narrowly missed a busy bypass when it crashed into a field, injuring its pilot.

The trainee pilot suffered serious injuries in the crash and is now in a stable condition at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxfordshire.

Employees at Merritts Jaguar car showroom, in London Road, Amersham, heard the helicopter circling above on the morning of Friday September, 16.

A spokesman for Merrits said: "The field where he landed is just behind us so we had a clear view of the whole incident, although it was quite far away. Some of the drivers came in and said they had heard something making a strange noise above them. When they looked up they saw the helicopter coming down near the woods.

"They said it was flying very low and at one point looked as though it might crash into the bypass, but it actually landed on the other side in the end."

Three fire crews attended the scene shortly after the Robinson R44 chopper came down in a field, close to the A413 Amersham Bypass, near London Road East, Amersham at around 9.55am.

The pilot, who took off from Denham Aerodrome at 9.50am, is believed to be in his 50s or 60s. He suffered a suspected cut to his neck.

Robin Steel, 65, from Maryland, USA, was in the Tesco car park, in London Road, when he noticed the helicopter flying above him.

"I stopped and looked up as it seemed to be coming down at some speed. Then I heard a really loud bang," he said.

"It's remarkable the pilot wasn't killed."

The pilot was believed to have been on a routine navigational training exercise across South Bucks when he got into difficulties.

A spokesman for Bickertons Aerodrome, the operating company for Denham Aerodrome, said: "The pilot was reasonably experienced and already has a fixed wing licence for aeroplanes."

The pilot was under instruction from Heli Air flying school, in Wellesborne, which allows its trainees to fly unaccompanied at any stage in their training at the flying instructor's discretion.

The school does not wish to comment on the incident.

The helicopter crash is being investigated by the Air Accident Investigation Board.