Message posted by Clive on June 02, 2001 at 15:52:26 PST:

Two die at air show

Eyewitness: "It just fell out of the sky"
Two crew members of an aircraft died after their plane crashed at the Biggin Hill International Air Fair near Bromley in Kent.
Ambulances were called to the scene at 1810BST after the 1950s De Havilland Vampire fighter trainer plane "fell out of the sky".
Nobody else was injured in the crash which happened as the Vampire was taking part in a display with a Sea Vixen plane.
The Air Accident Investigation Branch have been informed and will launch an inquiry.
Two crew
Air show spokesman Nick Smith said: "I can think of no other way to describe it other than it just fell out of the sky.
"Two people were on board the plane and we appear to have two fatalities.
The air accident investigators will look at and determine what the cause of the accident was.
"At this stage I would not be prepared to comment on a possible cause of the crash."
Mr Smith added that the Vampire was owned by the De Havilland group.
Scene sealed
The Vampire was a 1950s fighter trainer aircraft which had been restored.
Police have sealed off the scene and roads in the nearby vicinity have been closed.
James Downing, 17, from Crowborough, East Sussex, said he saw the Vampire corkscrew twice before it disappeared from sight.
He then saw a huge ball of fire leap into the air and heard a sound which he said was louder than "thunder".
Ball of fire
He said: "As the Vampire and the Vixen turned around, the Vixen pulled away and the Vampire corkscrewed down behind the ridge.
"I didn't see anything until I saw the fireball go up in the air.
"I couldn't see anybody walking out of that alive.
"A fraction of a second after it disappeared, there was a ball of fire and the sound louder than thunder."
God bless them both.

Replies: