A doctor escaped serious injury after his plane dropped out of the sky and crashed on to the roof of a house.

The impact sent debris hurtling into the home of Helen Monahan, 36, who had left moments earlier to collect her children from school.

Dr Donald Campbell, who has been flying for ten years, spoke to the Argus from his hospital bed and described the terrifying moment when his aircraft plummeted to earth, just yards from a primary school and a busy railway line.

The 52-year-old neurosurgeon with a private practice, who flies all over the country as part of his work, was returning to Shoreham Airport from Sheffield where he had been treating patients.

As he passed over Shoreham just before 3pm yesterday afternoon, the engines of his twin-engine Piper Seneca cut out and his plane came down on to the roof sending tiles and timber crashing down inside the house.

The light aircraft fell into the back garden of the property in West Street, leaving a wheel and part of the undercarriage on the flat-roof extension.

Emergency services expected the worst. Instead, they found the pilot in the cockpit, with no signs of serious injury.

Speaking from his bed in inten-sive care at Worthing Hospital, Dr Campbell, who suffered head injuries, said: "I was coming into Shoreham Airport when both engines just cut out. It began to yaw quite sharply to one side.

"I tried to get it straight then realised the engine wasn't working. I couldn't find any explanation.

"The starboard engine went and then I lost both of them. I tried restarting but couldn't get them going again.

"I informed the tower, but I knew I wouldn't make it that far. It was about a mile away.

"I wasn't going to put the aircraft anywhere where I was going to hurt people."

Dr Campbell, a member of the Sky Leisure Flying Club in Shoreham, was travelling at 160mph.

He said he had a choice of landing on houses or a railway track, but knew he could not land on the line because of the electric cable.

Bang He said: "I saw a gap by the houses and aimed next to them. I don't remember exactly what happened after that. I remember a bang.

"I went down and the port wing tip must have hit the roof. It was a bit rough. There was a bit of a bump. I banged my head on the inside.

"I tried to speak to the tower but within a minute there was somebody from a house nearby who shouted to me and then very quickly there were firemen and a paramedic."

Mick Crockford, paramedic in the Sussex Police air ambulance, said: "It's miraculous the pilot survived. You would expect him to have been dead. He is very lucky and should go and buy a lottery ticket tonight."

Dr Campbell, a Scotsman who lives in Battle with his Swedish wife Gorrel and 19-year-old son Alasdair, said he was told soon after that no one had been in the house apart from a cat.

He said he thought his wife wanted him to give up flying but he said: "I will go back as soon as I find out what caused it. We need to know that.

"It's safer than driving and safer than the trains."

The police and aviation authorities have launched an inquiry.

The crash happened at 2.58pm, shortly before pupils at the nearby Shoreham County First School were due to go home.

A West Sussex County Council spokesman said: "The potential consequences of the plane hitting the school at that time of day are horrific."

A spokesperson for Railtrack said the Brighton to Lancing line was closed for 80 minutes while debris was cleared.