Pilot dies in light aircraft crash at Duxford's Imperial War Museum as investigation begins
The aftermath of the fatal aircraft crash in Cambridgeshire.
The pilot of a light aircraft which crashed at a war museum was killed in the collision, authorities have confirmed.
The man, aged in his 50s, died when the plane appeared to lose control and nosedive at Duxford Airfield in Cambridgeshire on Tuesday afternoon.
He was later named as Simon Riggs, with his family paying tribute to a "truly great" man.
Emergency services and air ambulance crews were called to the site - home to the Imperial War Museum (IWM) - at about 1.40pm.
No one else was on board, said the Imperial War Museum.
A spokesman said: "We are sad to report that the pilot, a man in his 50s from the Bedfordshire area, did not survive the crash.
"Despite the best efforts of medical crews, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
"Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this incredibly difficult time. Cambridgeshire Police have informed next of kin, who attended the scene of the accident yesterday."
The aircraft was a privately-owned General Aviation Cirrus SR22, based at Duxford, the spokesman added.
IWM Duxford said it would remain closed to visitors on Wednesday and Thursday, but was expected to reopen on Friday.
Data from tracking site FlightRadar24 shows the aircraft's flight had started 20 minutes earlier at 1.20pm.
Eyewitnesses said the pilot tried to land twice and had lost speed, but attempted to take off again.
It had circled the airfield three times, performing "touch-and-goes" - a standard procedure in which an aircraft lands on the runway and then proceeds to take off again without stopping.
Tributes have been offered to the pilot's family and friends by local community leaders.
Revd Lydia Smith, rector of Duxford, said: "It was with great sadness that we heard of the crash at Duxford airfield yesterday in which the plane's pilot died.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the pilot's family and friends in the coming days.
"Modern light aircraft as well as historic planes are a familiar sight in the skies above the village and the Imperial War Museum and airfield are much loved by people who live in Duxford."
The Air Accident Investigation Branch said it had deployed a team of inspectors to Duxford to investigate what happened.
A spokesperson said: "A multi-disciplinary team of AAIB inspectors has deployed to Duxford, Cambridgeshire, to begin investigating an accident involving a light aircraft."
They added that investigators were expected to be on site for the remainder of Wednesday, and the aircraft wreckage would be transported to the organisation's base in Farnborough in Hampshire for further investigation.
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