Plane crash kills two (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Plane crash kills two

TWO members of the same family have died in a plane crash at Kemble Airfield.

Investigators believe 55-year-old Christopher Bird and his 24-year-old daughter Madeleine were killed when their light aircraft lost height after take off on Friday afternoon and plummeted into a neighbouring field.

The privately-owned Europa plane took off from the westerly runway at Kemble shortly after 2.30pm on Good Friday.

Flight data showed the plane rose to a height of about 400ft before coming down in a field at the end of the runway towards Culkerton. Air accident investigators are currently trying to find out the cause of the crash.

Airfield manager David Young was at the airfield on Friday when the accident happened.

He said: "The incident happened at 2.38pm on Good Friday. I was called to the control tower and there was a plume of smoke rising of the west runway.

"Our fire crew were already at the scene by the time I was at the tower. All the emergency services had been called and our staff acted superbly well. I escorted the first ambulance to the scene.

"We estimate from our records that they had the fire extinguished within 30 seconds of arrival. Very sadly there was nothing that anybody could do for the occupants of the aircraft."

Fire crews from the airfield rushed to the scene within minutes of the impact and extinguished the fire before crews from Cirencester, Tetbury, Cheltenham, Malmesbury and Westlea arrived.

Staff at businesses based at the airfield are still reeling from the first fatal incident at Kemble for nearly a decade.

Glen Moreman, events coordinator at Kemble knew Mr Bird, whom he described as a well known figure around the airfield.

He said the pilot had a plane at Kemble for a number of years but the Europa was a fairly new acquisition.

The two-seater aircraft involved in the crash was a kit-built plane although Mr Moreman believes it is unlikely the owner built the plane himself.

"Everybody is just so stunned and shocked, it's just unbelievable," he said.

"Everybody's still feeling dazed about it, asking did this really happen. It's a real shame."

Mr Moreman praised the efforts of the airfield's fire crew who were at the scene within minutes.

He said:"When the county service got there was nothing for them to put out. They really did respond brilliantly to it. They couldn't be faulted, it's not an easy thing to deal with."

Mr Young explained that the victims' family was informed of the incident on Friday and visited Kemble on Easter Day.

He said: "Close family visited the airfield on Sunday afternoon to speak to the senior air investigator and some members of the family were escorted to the accident scene."

"There will be inevitable conjecture about what happened but we will leave it to the investigators."

Divisional Officer Dave Hornibrook of Gloucestershire Fire Service confirmed several appliances from the county attended the incident including a special rescue unit from Cheltenham.

He explained: "We carried out our preliminary fire investigations however our investigation is currently reducing and we are assisting, as far as we can, the police and the Civil Aviation Authority with their investigations, they take precedent in this instance and we will do all we can to help."

Officials from the Department of Transport's Air Accident Investigations Branch attended the scene and combed nearby fields for possible clues as to the cause of the crash. The wreckage of the aircraft was then removed on Saturday afternoon for further examination.

However, it could be up to six months before the exact cause of the accident is known.

Both victims are from St George Street in the Brentry area of Bristol.

Police spokesman Matt Ford said: "Following the fatal crash involving a light aircraft at Kemble, a joint investigation has begun between Gloucestershire police and the Department of Transport Air Investigation Branch.

"The purpose of the investigation is to try and establish the full circumstances behind this tragic incident."

The Gloucestershire coroner has been notified of the deaths and inquests are expected to be opened later this week.