A 61-YEAR-OLD man miraculously escaped serious injury after the helicopter he was flying got into difficulty and plunged into Windermere's wintry-cold waters.

Bill Scarrett, who was flying a Jet Ranger 206 to pick up businessman Tim Knowles from his Windermere home, managed to get out of the chopper after it hit the water on Friday and swim to safety.

Mr Scarrett, from Blackpool, was suffering from hypothermia and shock, and was taken to Furness General Hospital where his condition was described as "quite comfortable."

The helicopter, owned by Chorley-based Helixair Ltd., sank about half-a-mile offshore near Storrs Hall, and an Air Accident Investigation team is looking into the incident.

Mr Knowles, who had been preparing to commute to his Chorley-based business Botany Bay, said it was "a miracle" Mr Scarrett, with whom he had flown on numerous occasions, had survived the ordeal.