Charity rowers in one-in-a-million sea crash rescue

Charity rowers have told how they went to the aid of a pilot who crashed into the Irish Sea just minutes after they themselves had battled terrifying tidal conditions. Oliver Dudley, part of the GBRow team, said he and his three crew mates watched in horror as the two-seater aircraft landed amongst the rolling waves less than two miles from their boat.

"It was disbelief to think a plane had just plummeted from the sky," he said. "I think adrenalin kicked in and we rowed hell for leather over to the plane. We could see the tail fin sticking out the water and the pilot standing on the wing. We were expecting to see a dead person but to find someone alive after that was extraordinary."



Just 10 minutes earlier, Mr Dudley explained how he and his crew mates had put their lifejackets on in fear as their boat was tossed around relentlessly in the turbulent sea. "We were freaked out by the torrent of water - it was like being in a rollercoaster," he said.

Mr Dudley added that it was likely the same weather conditions which had seen the pilot, John O'Shaughnessy, get into trouble. Five minutes after seeing the aircraft come down, the rowers came close to Mr O'Shaughnessy, but the waves made it impossible for them to reach him.



In gripping video filmed by one of the GBRow crew, the rowers are seen attempting to reassure the shaken man and throwing him a lifeline. The Coast Guard's helicopter arrives a few minutes later and the pilot was winched to safety.

Mr O'Shaughnessy was treated for shock and hypothermia and discharged within a few hours of the crash-landing. Meanwhile, the rowers headed to Dublin to reassess plans for their journey, which is a sponsored attempt to break a record for the fastest time taken to row around Britain. They have now decided to postpone the attempt.