AN INJURED glider pilot used his mobile phone to guide ambulance crews to his rescue when he crashed near Helmsley, trapping himself in the wreckage.

The 32-year-old man, who was taking part in the British National Gliding Championships at Pocklington, dialled 999 after his aircraft crashed in an isolated crop field.

An ambulance and motorcycle paramedic were mobilised from York, but officers could not find the man, who was hidden from view away from roads.

The drama unfolded two miles outside of Helmsley on the north side of the A170 on Saturday.

Ambulance officers found the man after an hour by sounding their vehicle sirens. The man, who is from outside the North Yorkshire area, was still in contact with the control centre by mobile phone and guided the crews towards him.

He was treated at the scene and taken to the Friarage Hospital, Northallerton, with neck and back injuries.

Andy Melville, of the Wolds Gliding Club which is hosting the week-long event, said the man was racing again by Sunday afternoon.

He said: "The cornfield causes gliders to decelerate quite quickly and he jarred his back a little bit.

"Glider pilots are always taught in these situations not to move if you think you have hurt your back.

"It was not an accident, it was an incident, and he took a sensible precaution."

Mike Cohler, chief flying instructor at York Gliding Club, said taking a mobile phone was a sensible precaution for all gliders.

He said landing gliders in fields was not uncommon and pilots often used mobile phones to contact their support teams.

A spokeswoman for North Yorkshire Ambulance service said that crews had difficulty finding the man because of his location.

More than 40 contestants are taking part in the British National Gliding Championship, based at The Airfield, Pocklington, until Sunday June 30. It is the first time the event has been held north of Watford.

Gliders can reach speeds of up to 130 mph and heights of 10,000 ft during races which take them as far north as Masham.

Updated: 08:50 Monday, June 24, 2002