Pilot Dies In Vintage Air Show Crash

A pilot has been killed after a vintage aircraft he was flying crashed at an air show.

The wooden plane plunged into a field just 300 yards (274 metres) from a crowd of 600 people attending a military pageant.

Police said they worked alongside the fire and rescue service, East of England Ambulance Service and the aerodrome's own fire service to help the pilot after the incident, which happened at around 9.45am.

The man, who was in his 40s, has been named locally as Trevor Roche.

He was pronounced dead soon after the accident, which happened at Old Warden Aerodrome, near Biggleswade, Bedfordshire - home to the Shuttleworth Collection of vintage aircraft.

The Shuttleworth Collection confirmed in a statement on its website that the aircraft experienced difficulties and crashed.

The statement said: "Emergency services and the air ambulance were called to the scene and one casualty airlifted to hospital.

"We are not releasing details of the person's identity or the nature of the injuries incurred.

"Today's planned air show has been cancelled to allow accident investigators to assess the scene.

"We would like to thank both on-site and external emergency crews for their prompt reaction."

A spokesman for the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said that the aircraft involved was a de Havilland DH 53 - an aircraft used for communications and training by the RAF in the 1920s.

"A team of inspectors have been despatched to the site to start an investigation which will determine the circumstances behind the accident," he said.