A pilot flew his plane for two hours without realising he was missing half a wing.

His passengers - two flight engineers on their way to repair a Boeing 767 - also failed to spot it had been ripped off, taking a fuel tank with it.

Their Cessna 210's wing was split in two when it hit a tree on take-off from an airstrip near Shannon in Ireland, reports the Mirror.

The pilot later said he heard a bang but thought he had just hit a small bird.

He only realised what had happened when he spotted his back-up fuel tank gauge was on empty as he flew over the Channel on the way to Portugal.

He put out a Mayday call and landed at Jersey airport.

A spokesman there said last night: "We were amazed it managed to fly as long as it had. It was in a real state.

"The pilot was the most shocked as he had not realised the extent of the damage while he was flying."