Probe As Pilot Killed In Air Show Crash

An investigation is under way after a pilot was killed when the 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.

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.

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 on Sunday.

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.

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

The air show was cancelled in the wake of the incident to allow accident investigators on the scene.

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.