Police name light aircraft crash casualties
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Your support makes all the difference.Two pilots and a boy who died in a mid-air crash on Wednesday were named yesterday as Richard "Fred" Bassett, 34, from Magdalen Laver, near Ongar, Andrew Duffill, 39, of Rayleigh, and Laurence Hughes, 10, from Ilford, all in Essex.
The single-seater Yak 50 and the two-seater Cessna crashed as they were coming in to land at the North Weald airfield near Harlow, Essex.
An eyewitness reported that one of the planes was doing aerobatics moments before the crash while another said the wings of the two aircraft touched before the planes hit the ground.
Laurence's parents, Robin and Sue Hughes, said their son had a passion for flying. "Laurence was only 10 but he lived for flying." Mr Hughes said. "He spent all his spare time building and flying aeroplanes.
Mr Duffill was a close family friend who had taught both Laurence and his brother Elliott, seven, how to fly, he said.
"Andy treated my sons like they were his own. He loved the boys and would do anything for them," he said. "Andy was an exemplary pilot and I know Laurence was in the safest hands when he was flying with him."
Laurence wanted to join the RAF when he was older and was due to join the local Air Force cadets later this year. "We have lost our beloved son and our best friend in a tragic accident," he said. "There is a big hole in our life but we know Andy would have done everything possible to have saved our son."
Michael and Anne Duffill said their son learnt to fly when he was 22. "Andy learnt to fly when he was 22 and was a very natural pilot," they said. "On qualifying he immediately became an instructor.
Andrew worked as a line training captain for Brymon Airways and latter a commercial pilot for Flightline at Stansted airport.
"He was a very experienced pilot who lived for flying. Every spare moment he was at the flying club," his parents said. "He was a very popular man and all his family and friends will greatly miss him."
Tributes were also paid to Mr Bassett, who had a wife and two small children, by his family and friends. "He was an outstanding pilot who trained with RAF," they said in a statement.
"For the last eight years he performed with the Aerostars International Display Team, whose depth of experience was universally recognised.
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