Pen y Fan. Photo: Nigel Davies CC-BY-SA-2.0

A mountain rescue team member had to be airlifted to hospital after suffering head injuries while aiding a walker found on the highest mountain in south Wales.

Mark Moran of the Central Beacons Mountain Rescue Team was flown from Pen y Fan along with a 71-year-old man who had slipped on the mountain and broken his lower leg.

The RAF crew of the Sea King helicopter from RMB Chivenor near Barnstaple were praised for flying to the men’s aid in atrocious conditions.

The 71-year-old was found by a passing walker on the 886m (2,907ft) mountain in the Brecon Beacons. The man was also mildly hypothermic after spending some time on the hillside in heavy snow and freezing temperatures. Rescuers reached him about 6.30pm on Friday.

Thirty-six volunteer rescuers from four teams – Brecon, Central Beacons, Longtown and Western Beacons – took part in the operation, which took six hours. Huw Jones of the Central Brecon team told the BBC: “In all my years in mountain rescue, I struggle to say when I remember seeing a helicopter crew flying in those conditions,” which he described as more like Alaska than south Wales.

Both injured men were flown by the RAF crew to Morriston Hospital, Swansea, for further treatment.

The Brecon MRT had earlier that day been called out after light aircraft pilot Mike Buckingham flew his plane into the side of the mountain.

Remarkably, Mr Buckingham, who was alone in the plane, managed to crawl from the upturned aircraft, a Piper PA-38 Tomahawk, after a passing soldier smashed the Perspex window of the craft and helped him out.

Mr Buckingham’s amazing luck continued as he was examined by a passing party of walkers which included two doctors, one of whom was an accident and emergency specialist.

The Brecon Mountain Rescue Team was stood down but alerted again after Mr Buckingham and the medics failed to turn up. However, it emerged they had walked the feature writer down the mountainside in a blizzard and driven him to hospital in Merthyr Tydfil.