Onlookers at the Herne Bay Air Show in England earlier this week were about to see a rare demonstration, when a pilot's single-engine, open-cockpit aircraft lost power and he was forced to make an emergency landing on the water in front of thousands of spectators. But then things went wrong: After gently touching down the aircraft immediately flipped over, leaving the pilot trapped under water.

Roughly a dozen helpful beach-goers rushed to the downed plane and had it righted and pulled ashore in just a few moments. The dramatic scene was caught on video:

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Fortunately for the pilot, the crowd's decisive action prevented drowning and he walked away with only a broken nose.

The annual air show, which includes 47 aircraft in 22 display teams, attracts thousands of spectators each year. The Druine D.31 Turbulent involved in this incident is a French-designed home-built plane, and performed just an hour after the Royal Air Force display team Red Arrows.

According to the BBC, the pilot has flown in more than 120 displays in the last 10 years and made a distress radio call indicating there were engine problems. The pilot was a member of the Turbulent Display Team who later confirmed that he was safe and only sustained minor injuries.