The private jet carrying the organ clipped an antenna as it was landing at Birmingham Airport in thick fog on Friday afternoon and caught fire as it hit the ground.
Two crew members were injured, but rescuers managed to put out the fire and take the organ to Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital on a police motorbike.
The liver was undamaged and was successfully implanted in a patient during a four-hour operation, the hospital said in a statement. The hospital praised the rescuers for their quick thinking.
The patient was now stable, but the hospital declined to release any further details, citing medical confidentiality.
The crash forced Birmingham Airport to close, disrupting 80 other flights, as investigators examined the site of the crash. The airport has since reopened.
Investigators are looking into the cause of the crash.
