Fatal Crash
Fatal airport crash investigated
Air accident investigators are trying to establish what caused a light aircraft to crash and burst into flames, killing two people on board.
The 40-year-old pilot and 60-year-old passenger died when their Yak-52 plane came down close to the runway at Bournemouth Airport on Saturday night.
The pair had been on a pleasure flight and were returning from Sandbanks.
Police said no other buildings or people were affected and the Dorset airport has remained open.
The crash happened in the north-east sector of Bournemouth Airport, where the business park and flying clubs are located.
'Tragic accident'
A spokesman for Dorset Police said all emergency services remained at the scene overnight, and the incident has now been handed over to the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB).
Supt Lynn Hart, commander of the overnight operation, said: "This was a tragic accident, happening as it did at the end of a pleasure flight last night as it returned from the Sandbanks area.
"The aircraft crash scene was self contained and no other aircraft, people or airport buildings were affected."
Paul Knight, director of service delivery at Bournemouth International Airport, said: "All the management and staff at the airport are greatly saddened by last night's events.
"We regularly test the emergency plan to ensure we are prepared to deal with any incident and I would like to thank all of our staff who were involved for the way in which they dealt with this tragic incident."
- Sad news to hear indeed.