A PILOT escaped serious injury today when his helicopter crashed into a loch while he was searching for his missing cabin cruiser.
The boat had allegedly been taken from its mooring near Ardgartan on Loch Long in Argyll during the night by someone staying at a nearby campsite.
Its owner went up in his helicopter to look for his boat but was forced to ditch in the water at around 9.10am.
The pilot managed to swim ashore, while the aircraft sank. No-one else was on board.
Meanwhile, a member of the public had spotted the motorboat drifting on Loch Long. Investigators found a man “asleep” on board the vessel, which was towed back to shore.
The man, who had been reported missing from a local campsite at around 7am, was arrested in connection with the alleged theft of a boat.
Clyde Coastguard was involved in the search for the missing vessel.
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