Two dead after light aircraft crashes

TWO people have been killed after a light aircraft crashed in North Yorkshire.

The pilot and his passenger were killed when the aircraft came down in fields between the A64 and Castle Howard, in Ryedale, North Yorkshire, at around 10.40am on Saturday.

It is understood some members of the public raised the alarm.

Eyewitness Andrew Moutrie, 54, from Hovingham, said he was on his way to a football match when he discovered the crash scene.

The 54-year-old said: "It looks like the aircraft attempted a crash landing. It looks like it came through the hedge towards the field," he said.

The Air Accident Investigation Branch has been informed.

The public has been advised to avoid the area and a number of roads have been closed.

A spokesman for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “We have sent three appliances and one incident support unit with its own appliance. 

“They are assisting police and have set up the external foam equipment around the perimeter.”

A Yorkshire Ambulance Service spokeswoman said an air ambulance and a land ambulance had also been sent to the crash site,