Man Dies After Biplane Crashes In Dorset

A man's died and a second has been seriously injured after their Tiger Moth biplane crashed in a field in Dorset.

The men were airlifted to hospital following the accident near Wimborne on Sunday afternoon (15th May).

The aircraft had reportedly been performing aerobatics shortly before it plunged to the ground. The cause of the accident is not yet known.

Geoff Hill, 49, said he watched as the plane spiralled down near his home.

"I saw the plane about an hour before it crashed flying around in the area,'' he told The Daily Telegraph.

"It then came back and flew a loop and a barrel roll. The next thing I saw it started to spiral to the ground, it did not pull up. I could hear the crew shouting as it got closer to the ground and then it smashed in.

"I ran up to the crash site both crew members were in a bad way with huge cuts, they were in a lot of pain. I held one of the men's head as he had a large gash and waited until the emergency crews arrived.'' They were later airlifted to hospital.

An investigation was launched by the Government's Air Accident Investigation Branch. A Dorset Police spokesman said: "The two occupants of the aircraft - the pilot, a local man, and the passenger, a 26-year-old man from Poole, Dorset - were seriously injured.

"The pilot was taken to Salisbury Hospital by the Dorset Police Helicopter and the passenger was taken to Dorset County Hospital, in Dorchester by the air ambulance service. The scene of the crash, a field 300 metres away from Rowbarrow Lane, in Witchampton, has been sealed off.''

A Dorset Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman said: "A Tiger Moth is believed to have taken off from Compton Abbas airfield and has crashed into a field in the Moor Crichel area. Two male occupants of the aircraft have been airlifted to hospital, by the Coastguard and Police helicopters, with serious injuries.''

One of the men later died in hospital, it's not known whether it was the pilot or co-pilot.