An adventure-loving former Cumbrian mayor had a miracle escape after a bird-strike wrecked his gyrocopter at 2,000ft.

Despite the terrifying accident above Caldbeck, which left his gyrocopter with no working propeller, Keswick town councillor Andrew Lysser piloted his stricken machine so expertly he walked away uninjured. His passenger suffered only minor injuries.

The Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) have only now released details of the incident which happened after Mr Lysser – an experienced flight instructor based at Carlisle Airport – piloted his gyrocopter over the northern Cumbrian fells.

After the bird-strike, says the report, the gyrocopter's frame shook so violently that the propeller blades detached.

“The pilot positioned the aircraft for a forced landing onto a field on a southerly heading,” continues the report. “He saw power cables running along the side of the field but the low sun prevented him from seeing other power cables.

“Just before the aircraft landed it struck one of the cables running across the field, which brought it to a halt and tipped it onto its side.”

The accident happened at Branthwaite, Caldbeck, near Hope Farm, at about 11am on December 17. An estimated 250 homes were left without electricity.

Fire and ambulance crews were scrambled to the area but both Mr Lysser – 63 at the time - and his passenger walked away.

Fellow Keswick town councillor and Cumbria county councillor Tony Lywood compared Mr Lysser to the legendary airline pilot Chesley Sullenger – known as Sully – who made a life-saving emergency landing on the Hudson River in the US in 2009.

“Andrew is the Sully of Keswick,” said Mr Lywood. "He's an Indiana Jones type figure - exactly the kind of person you'd want around in a crisis – say if you're stranded on a desert island or in the middle of a flood. He'd have been as effective in that gyrocopter as anybody could be.”

Mr Lysser played a key role in leading efforts to help Keswick recover at the devastating 2015 flooding. Susan Leighton, current Keswick Mayor, said: “Andrew has not made a great thing about the accident.

“He's multi-talented, cool under pressure, and very quick-thinking.

“During the floods in 2009 and 2015, he was very proactive and galvanised a lot of people.

“If there's another emergency, he's someone I'd go to.”