A plane crashed into a field after the engine cut out.

The pilot was forced to land the plane into a field near Shoreham Airport after his engine started coughing and lost power.

In a report into the accident, by the government’s air accidents investigation branch (AAIB), an investigation revealed that the pilot, who is not named, had recently practised forced landings.

The report said: “This likely contributed to the safe outcome.”

The cause of the engine losing power on January 2 this year is still unknown but it is thought that it could be due to the weather conditions at the time, which were conducive to carburetor icing.

A carburetor is a device that is used in engines to control the mix of air and fuel entering the engine.

If the internal temperature drops below freezing, ice can freeze the engine’s mechanisms.

The pilot, 28, had learnt to fly in California and after 54 hours of training during July and August 2018, he passed his skills test and got his private pilot’s licence.

The report said: “The pilot then had five flights with an instructor in Shoreham from November 2022 before he was cleared to fly solo.

“The instructor reported that after the training flights his checks were good, so he signed him off.”