AN experienced stunt pilot was killed after his plane reportedly lost control during a turn before plummeting and crashing into a field.
Angus Buchanan died in the accident at 4.30pm yesterday at the site near Headcorn Aerodrome in Kent.
Witnesses said his light aircraft – a pre WW2-era Stampe biplane – was one of three planes being flown in the area.
One said the plane was one of three being flown, saying it appeared to "have performed a stall turn and lost control".
Another wrote on Facebook: "I watched it come down when I was walking the dog.
"I hoped that I was mistaken, but when I heard the sirens and helicopter I knew it wasn’t good news. Thoughts and prayers to the family."
Tributes have since poured in for the "talented" pilot, who was a member of the Stampe Formation Flying Display team.
In a statement online, the team wrote: "It is with deepest sadness that we have to announce the death of Angus Buchanan yesterday.
"An active and long-standing display pilot with the Stampe Formation Team, Angus was an extremely experienced and talented aviator and engineer with many flying hours under his belt.
"We have all lost a very dear friend who leaves a gap in all of our lives that can never be filled and all of our thoughts are now with his family to whom we send our most sincere and deepest condolences."
Friend and former colleague, Phil Cosgrove, wrote on Facebook: "So sad. He was a great pilot and such a nice man, I am so, so sorry to hear such devastating name and my heart and thoughts go out to CB and the children."
And a post on the Headcorn Village Facebook page read: "Although individually we didn’t all know Angus Buchanan, collectively we feel we did.
"We have watched him and his Stampe friends display their skills above our heads for years. The joy they bring is palpable.
"Our thoughts are with Angus’s family and friends and the entire Aerodrome team."
The Stampe formation display team is an airshow act featuring classical barnstorming stunts from the 1930s and 40s.
A formation of four open cockpit, aerobatic biplanes fly at speeds of up to 130mph and turn tightly in close formation in front of a crowd.
The show is said to include "exciting formation changes, dynamic breaks and a series of tail chases".
A spokesman for Kent Police said: "At 4.25pm on Sunday, May 9, 2021, Kent Police was notified that a light aircraft had crashed in a field near Headcorn.
"Officers attended along with South East Coast Ambulance Service, Kent Fire and Rescue Service and an air ambulance.
"A man was pronounced deceased at the scene."
Angus was a member of the Stampe Formation Flying Display team – a group which performs air shows with planes.
He became a commercial pilot in 1970 and was working with Easyjet when he retired in 2009, his website says.
According to local media, two fire engines rushed to the scene of the plane crash today along with police and ambulance crews.
An air ambulance was also sent to the scene in Kent.
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