THREE people were taken to hospital yesterday after a vintage aircraft was wrecked as its pilot attempted to abort take-off.

Five others escaped unscathed from the wreckage of the 1940s Bristol Freighter, which crashed at Enstone airfield, near Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, just after midday.

The plane - which was one of only two Freighters in the world still flying - was on its way to an exhibition at its original home of Filton Airfield, near Bristol.

One elderly male passenger was taken to John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, with back injuries, but is expected to be released today.

Two women from the Bristol area are being treated for whiplash injuries in Horton General Hospital, in Banbury, Oxfordshire.

The 15-seater plane broke its back as it crash landed after take-off was aborted at about 50ft.

An airfield worker said: ``It swerved around on the runway and the pilot lost control as it went up. I don't know whether it was an engine fault or not.

``The pilot aborted the take-off and the wing clipped the ground.''