Plane crash kills four

The plane came down on farmland near East Grinstead

An investigation is under way after a light aircraft crashed into a field in the south of England, killing all four people on board.

The accident happened at Sharpthorne, near East Grinstead, West Sussex, on Saturday afternoon.

The emergency services were called to the scene of the crash at 1425 GMT.

Inspector Michael Pollitt, from Sussex Police, said: "A full air accident investigation has been launched."

If it had been another five or 10 seconds it would have crashed into East Grinstead and God knows what would have happened then

Eye-witness

The aircraft did not hit any buildings or people as it hit the ground, he added.

Police said it was believed to be heading to the London area, but they refused to reveal from where it had taken off until after relatives of the dead had been notified.

Senior duty officer with Sussex Ambulance Service Trevor Jennings said: "I was down there this afternoon and it looked pretty bad.

"The plane had come down and there was a substantial amount of debris about.

"The area is surrounded by woodland but it didn't seem to hit any trees, just a grass field area at this farm."

'Tissue paper'

The four-seater twin-engine red and white plane crashed into the field just 100 metres away from a secluded farmhouse.

It landed in countryside a mile from the tiny village of Sharpthorpe with wreckage spread over 100 metres.

Nicolette Ashby and her husband Russell, who own Newcoombe Farm where the crash happened, were returning home when they received a call from their farm-hand.

Police cordoned off the crash scene

Mrs Ashby said: "It looked like tissue paper all over the field. There was a wing and that was all I could recognise as a plane.

"It looked as though it had nose-dived and the front was buried in the ground. It appeared to have broken up, into smithereens.

"It looked as if they tried to steer away from the house and the horses in the next field. The pilot was courageous.

"When I look at the field I will always know four people have died there and it makes me feel sad inside."

'Bang and nose-dive'

Eyewitness Stephen Garside, 44, said: "Everything seemed fine but then there was a bang and it nose-dived."

Speaking at the edge of a police cordon, about one mile from the crash scene, Mr Garside added: "If it had been another five or 10 seconds it would have crashed into East Grinstead and God knows what would have happened then.

"When I saw the wreckage I thought that was it. I didn't think there was a chance they had survived at all."