STUDENT nurse Carol Harper was hailed a heroine today after a light aircraft crashed on an isolated farm near her Rossendale home.

Despite leaking fuel she gave first aid to the badly injured passenger while others held the weight of the split fuel tank.

A mature student at Burnley General Hospital, Carol, said: "I really just took the role of a carer, maintaining her airways and talking to her to comfort her until the paramedics arrived.''

The injured woman, Jean Reddish, wife of pilot, George Reddish of Nottingham, had been partly released by Chris Walmsley and a family friend, Ronnie Legge but her foot was trapped by a door.

Carol said: "I was concerned about the fuel. But I was assured there was no danger of a fire and I thought if they could stand there holding up the fuel tank it must be alright.''

Carol lives at Far Bank Farm, Lumb, and with her husband, Thomas, ran across the fields after their son, Daniel, 14, told them a plane had crashed. She said her nurse training helped and paramedics told her she had been right not to move her.

Aircraft accident investigators are carrying out a probe into why a single engine plane crashed into a farm building in Rossendale.

Although the pilot and his wife were injured, members of the emergency services at the scene were amazed that anyone could escape alive from the tangled wreckage.

The accident happened at 5.55pm on Saturday on a private air strip at Middle Bank Top Farm, Lumb-in-Rossendale.

The red and white two-seater Emeraued light aircraft was taking off along the grass runway in what seemed to be perfect weather conditions when for some reason it failed to lift more than ten feet crashing into the roof of a partly derelict farm out-building.

The plane turned over crashing into the turf.

Mr Reddish of Kirby-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, escaped with a broken arm and broken rib. He was taken by ambulance to Burnley General Hospital where yesterday he underwent surgery to pin the broken arm.

His wife suffered much more serious injuries.

She was flown by helicopter with a doctor on board direct to the Royal Preston Infirmary where she is receiving treatment for head and other injuries.

Yesterday police were told her injuries were not as serious as first thought and that she should make a full recovery in time.

"That is much better news than we first feared,'' said Insp Roy Butler.

He said he was amazed that anyone could escape from the wreckage alive.

The aircraft was in bits and distinguishable as a plane only because the tail section had remained intact.

The rest of the aircraft was in bits, upside down and wingless.

The isolated farmhouse where the accident happened is owned by Stanley Walmsley, an aerodynamics consultant, and his Russian wife, Roza.

Mr Walmsley owns a light aircraft and has had an airstrip there for 18 years.

His son David, a student, said: "Carol was fantastic. She did a really good job.''

Insp Butler said the craft was taking off when the pilot lost control and collided with the roof of the out-building at the end of the air strip.

Members of the air investigation branch from Farnborough arrived at the farm yesterday to investigate.

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