Klaus Gerecht safely brought the Cessna light aircraft down at Figari airport in Corsica after the plane's wheels jammed.
He first circled the airport on the French Mediterranean island for an hour to burn off excess fuel, while ground staff covered grass beside the runway with foam.
Risky: Klaus Gerecht, centre, carried out an emergency landing he had see on YouTube
He and two passengers on board, who were on holiday on the island, all escaped the drama unhurt on Tuesday evening.
Mr Gerecht belly landing the plane
‘We had no choice but to land the plane on its belly.
‘It was a dangerous thing to attempt but luckily I'd seen it done once before on YouTube.
‘So I got the plane into position, cut the engines and brought her down. It was a bit bumpy but otherwise fine.’
He added: ‘The ground staff covered the grass with fire-extinguishing foam and helped me every step of the way.
‘It was a perfect example of Franco-German co-operation.’
YouTube video similar to the one Mr Gerecht watched...
