Crash stunt plane 'hit pylon'

The Air Accident Investigations Branch has begun work

An eye-witness has described the moments before a light aircraft crashed in Northamptonshire, killing both men on board.

The plane - a Russian-built YAK 52 two-seater - was performing aerobatic manoeuvres on Sunday when the accident happened near Towcester.

Northamptonshire Police said the two men killed in the accident have not yet been formally identified, but are thought to have been brothers from Surrey.

Nick Frost: 'Plane hit pylon'

Nick Frost, who watched the accident happen, told BBC News Online: "The plane performed a near-vertical dive, apparently deliberately and for fun and levelled out very late."

Mr Frost said the pilot had appeared to be in control of the aircraft during the dive.

Mr Frost said: "It caught the top wire of a high voltage transmission line which I suspect the pilot had not seen.

"There was a noise just like a hard car crash but no explosion or fire."

Experts from the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) were due to visit the crash site on Monday morning and take over the inquiry.

The aircraft is thought to have taken off from Turweston airfield, near Brackley, where it had stopped to refuel.