British WW II fighter plane found in Egypt desert

CAIRO: A World War II airplane that crash landed in Egypt's western desert has been found frozen in the sands of time almost 70 years later, the British embassy in Cairo told AFP on Saturday.

The Kittyhawk P-40 was discovered "almost intact" some weeks ago during a mining exploration in Egypt's western desert, the British embassy's Defence Attache Captain Paul Collins told AFP.

The plane's pilot, presumed to be Flight Sergeant Denis Copping, made a "fairly flawless emergency landing" in June 1942, Collins said.

The conditions in the desert, with no liquid and regular winds blowing, means the plane was left "almost intact, in an amazing piece of preservation," he said.

Britain is now in talks with the Egyptian army over whether the plane, which lies in a military zone, can be moved.

The pilot, Copping, is believed to have gotten lost, taken the radio out and walked away, but no trace of the bound has been found.

"His family probably exists somewhere, we need to solve that problem. We need to record it properly," said Collins.

Egypt's western desert was the scene of several key battles during World War II.