On Thursday, November 13, a gyrocopter performed an emergency landing in a rural field in the Lostock area of Bolton, Greater Manchester, following a mid-air propeller strike. Emergency services, including firefighters, an air ambulance, and police, swiftly responded to the scene near Beaumont Road and Kilworth Drive. The incident occurred around 1:25 pm, with fire services dispatched at 1:40 pm and the air ambulance around 1:45 pm.

Video footage and eyewitness accounts captured the dramatic moment the gyrocopter was seen spinning in the sky before its descent. Reports from social media users described hearing the engine struggle and cut out, with one person stating, "I heard an engine cut out as something flew over Newbrook Road and we said it didn't sound good." Another added that the engine "sounded like it was STRUGGLING." A local farm owner witnessed the incident, noting, "His engine went, and he just about landed but he was lucky. I saw everything, it was gliding and then crashed."

The pilot, a man in his 60s with 15 years of flying experience in both gyrocopters and helicopters, self-rescued from the aircraft and was thankfully unharmed. Speaking anonymously to the M.E.N, the pilot recounted the incident: "Something hit us and basically took a propeller off. I just managed to pull it in and did a hard landing. There was a bang, and then you go into overdrive." Despite the mishap, he expressed his intention to return to flying as soon as possible, confirming, "Everything's fine, I know with helicopter landings at the minute it's the flavour of the month, but everything's fine." He also reassured his family via phone calls.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed they were called to reports of a gyrocopter incident in Lostock, Bolton. Officers located the pilot, and no injuries were reported, with police classifying it as a "forced landing opposed to a crash." Air accident investigators are now looking into the incident. Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) dispatched four fire engines from Bolton Central, Eccles, and Atherton fire stations, plus the technical rescue unit from Leigh fire station. Firefighters made the aircraft and surrounding area safe alongside partners and were in attendance for approximately 45 minutes. The farm owner, who rushed to the pilot's aid, was amazed by his survival, telling him, "You wanna play the lottery when you get in tonight, you."