A pilot suffered serious injuries after his plane hit a bank while landing at an airfield in south Wales, an inquest has heard.

The 77-year-old crashed while trying to land the plane at Rhigos Airfield, near Aberdare, Rhondda Cynon Taf, at around 09:45 BST on 3 August.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) found that the aircraft, a 1969 Jodel, had fuel problems.

The AAIB said the pilot suffered “serious facial and spinal injuries”.

The report said the pilot was practicing approaches to the airfield when, on the second approach, he reduced the throttle and turned on the carburetor heat.

Shortly after the engine stopped, he noticed that the fuel mixture was cut off instead of turning on the carburetor heat.

He reset the mixture to rich and tried to restart the engine but it only worked for a few seconds during which time it was slow and low on final approach.

The aircraft then struck a bank that was part of the airfield boundary.