2.00 pm
A veteran New Zealand pilot was one of two people killed when a vintage jet plane crashed during a display at a British air show this morning (NZ time).
Air Marshall Sir Kenneth Hayr was flying the 1950s De Havilland Vampire when it fell in a ball of flames at
the Biggin Hill air show near London.
The plane was reported to have "fallen out of the sky" hours after another vintage jet was forced to make an emergency landing during an ill-starred day at the popular show.
The Vampire crashed with a huge explosion when it dived into the grounds of a house near the runway at about 6pm local time (5am NZT).
One eyewitness to the accident, Thet Oo, 18, said: "The plane got caught in the slipstream of another jet and started to spiral and twist."
Another eyewitness Jim Hazel, 40, said: "There was a huge grey-coloured explosion and a mushroom cloud which went 150ft into the air. Everyone started to rush towards where it happened. The pilot would not have stood a chance."
Earlier a De Havilland Venom made a forced landing after suffering undercarriage problems. The display had to be delayed until the all-clear was given by organisers.
Sir Kenneth was in charge of logistics for the Royal Air Force during the Falklands War and held one of the top jobs in the RAF before he retired about five years ago.
Since retiring he had divided his time between New Zealand and Britain.
- INDEPENDENT
