A fourteen-year-old girl on her first ever flying lesson had the fright of her life when the plane hit a gas-filled balloon yesterday.

Amy Boulton screamed as the Cessna 152 collided with a bright pink balloon shaped as the number 2 as it flew at 1000 ft above a Nottinghamshire airfield at 100mph.

Instructor Will Flanagan said: "This was Amy's first flight. She had been at the controls but I was flying in to land at Gamston when I suddenly saw it - I thought it was a bird at first. It could've been a big problem if it had wrapped around the propeller. But thankfully it didn't cause any damage and we landed safely. It certainly gave Amy a shock."

A fourteen-year-old girl on her first ever flying lesson had the fright of her life when the plane hit a gas-filled balloon yesterday.

Amy Boulton screamed as the Cessna 152 collided with a bright pink balloon shaped as the number 2 as it flew at 1000 ft above a Nottinghamshire airfield at 100mph.

Instructor Will Flanagan said: "This was Amy's first flight. She had been at the controls but I was flying in to land at Gamston when I suddenly saw it - I thought it was a bird at first. It could've been a big problem if it had wrapped around the propeller. But thankfully it didn't cause any damage and we landed safely. It certainly gave Amy a shock."