He was the 'sole occupant of the aircraft'.
A man in his 70s died after a light aircraft crashed near a stately home in Halstead, Essex, this morning.
He was the ‘sole occupant of the aircraft’ which flew through the village of Pebmarsh before setting on fire.
The craft landed near the Grade II listed Stanley Hall building on Pebmarsh Road.
A local told the BBC that the pilot was travelling southwest when the engine suddenly cut off, sending out a plume of smoke.
The woman said that after waving to the aircraft from her back garden, ‘the next minute there was silence and a huge plume of smoke’.
‘This has been very upsetting and it has shaken us all.’
‘Officers, alongside colleagues with the ambulance service and Essex Fire and Rescue Service, first responded to calls shortly before 9:30am,’ Essex Police said.
‘Sadly, we are now in a position to confirm a man, aged in his 70s, was found deceased at the scene.
‘A road closure will remain in place in the area overnight while these enquiries continue.’
Investigations are ongoing, county police added, with witnesses asked to come forward or send any CCTV, dam cam or other footage of the incident.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch, a government agency that probes civil aircraft accidents, said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that it has ‘deployed a team to the scene’.
The East of England ambulance service confirmed an ambulance, two ambulance officer vehicles and the Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) were sent to the scene.
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