A man is in a serious condition following a crash at Ards airfield this morning.

The PSNI, Fire Service and NI Ambulance Service rushed to the scene following a report of the plane crash.

The airport says “emergency protocols” are being deployed at the airport this lunchtime.

The alarm was raised around 11.20 am when a light aircraft crashed off the runway which lies in the shadow of Scrabo tower.

Crews from the nearby Ards fire station rushed to the scene and plucked a man from the cockpit of the aircraft.

Paramedic teams tended to the man at the scene before he was taken away to the Ulster Hospital in Dundonald.

The NI Ambulance Service say he is in a “serious condition.”

A full investigation is underway.

The Civil Aviation Authority’s Air Accident Investigation Branch will also be asked to probe the crash.