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Rescuers said later that two light aircraft were flying in formation from an airfield in the north of England.
One of the pair, a Luscombe Model H, collided with a third aircraft, a Pacific 750, which had taken off from another airfield, possibly nearby Tatenhill.
The Pacific lost half of its undercarriage in the collision and sent out an immediate Mayday message as it made its way towards East Midlands Airport for an emergency landing.