Inquiry into air show death

The plane's wing appeared to break up

Air investigators have begun sifting through the wreckage of a plane that crashed at an air show killing its pilot.

The Air Accidents Investigations Branch (AAIB) is trying to discover what caused the replica aircraft to come down at the Coventry Classic Airshow, shortly after it took off on Saturday.

The pilot, 59-year-old Pierre Hollander, of Balsta, Sweden, was taken by air ambulance to Selly Oak Hospital, Birmingham, but later died from his injuries.

The plane, a replica of Charles A Lindbergh's Spirit of St Louis, which was built by Mr Hollander, plunged 100 feet to the ground after its right wing appeared to break up.

Off-duty cameraman

David Eales, of Air Atlantique, which organised the classic aircraft show at Baginton airfield, in Warwickshire, said: "The AAIB is here and has been interviewing people and going over the wreckage.

"It is going to be taken away to ascertain what happened."

Investigators are expected to study footage of the crash, which was captured on video by an off-duty BBC cameraman.

Mr Eales said other people may also have captured the incident on video or camera and he urged them to help the investigation by handing over the footage.

The plane was a replica of Charles A Lindbergh's Spirit of St Louis

Mr Hollander, a well-known figure on the European air show circuit, was piloting the Spirit of St Louis as part of the two-day event.

The plane was built to commemorate the aircraft in which Lindbergh made the first non-stop flight across from New York to Paris in 1927.

One person was killed at the Coventry Classic Airshow in 1988 when a Gloster Meteor T7 - a 1940s twin jet aircraft - crashed due to pilot error.

Organisers said all aircraft at the show conformed to both European and Civil Aviation Authority standards, while all pilots had to be approved and have their competence assessed.

They added that crowd safety was also paramount, with members of the public being kept well away from the planes during displays. No one was hurt during the crash.

Representatives from Air Atlantique have informed Mr Hollander's family of the tragedy and are preparing to meet them once they have arrived in the UK.