Redhill; Pilot Dies

A man has died at Redhill aerodrome after the light aircraft he was piloting crashed.

Emergency services and police were called to Redhill Aerodrome in Surrey at around 12.30pm after the plane ditched at the end of the runway.

A police spokesman said: "Officers and other emergency services attended the scene where the sole occupant of the aircraft had suffered serious injuries.

"He was subsequently pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.

"Police are currently liaising with the Air Accidents Investigation Branch regarding the incident.''

Fire crews from nearby Godstone, Dorking and Reigate also attended the scene together with an ambulance and three cars from the South East Coast Ambulance Service.

An unnamed eyewitness told the Surrey Mirror: "It really seemed like the engine was cutting out. He might have tried to turn the plane around to land it again immediately and lost speed and crashed down.''

A spokeswoman for the Air Accidents Investigation Branch said that a team had been deployed to the scene to investigate the causes.

It could be several months before a report into what went wrong is produced, she said.

The accident comes days after a Super Puma helicopter crashed in the North Sea, killing three men and one woman.