A TRAGIC video has shown the moments before a pilot died in a plane crash at an airfield.
The Cirrus SR22 went nose-first into the field, causing a ballistic parachute – which pilots pull in an emergency – to shoot out.
Dad-of-three pilot Simon Riggs died at the scene after his privately-owned single-engine aircraft wrecked at Duxford Airfield in Cambridgeshire yesterday.
A witness said the pilot lost control while practising ‘touch and go’ circuit landings.
There were no other passengers when the tech entrepreneur’s Cirrus SR22 hit the ground.
Simon’s stepson, Sam Holdstock-Marshall, paid tribute to a “much loved husband, father and friend”.
He wrote online: “It is with a heavy heart that I’m sharing this news.
“Yesterday afternoon Simon Riggs passed away.
“Having recently stepped down from working life, Simon continued to live his life to the fullest. He will be greatly missed.”
Simon, from Ampthill, Beds, is survived by his wife of six years, Karen, three adult children and three adult step-children.
Emergency services, including nine fire engines, raced to the crumpled aircraft following the crash in Cambridgeshire.
Pictures from the scene showed the fixed wing completely destroyed as the fire brigade doused it in water.
An air ambulance was also seen on the airfield.
A party of schoolchildren on a trip to the air museum are believed to have witnessed the crash.
Kate Moore, 62, was at Duxford with her husband when she heard “a bang” and saw a plume of smoke.
She told The Mirror: “We were a long way away and many others there hadn’t an idea anything had occurred.
“It’s all a rather tragic end to a joyful day seeing the Hurricane and other planes flying after their winter maintenance.”
The Air Accident Investigation Branch is continuing its investigation at Duxford today.
A spokesperson from the Imperial War Museum Duxford said: “We are sad to report that the pilot, a man in his 50s from the Bedfordshire area, did not survive the crash.
“Despite the best efforts of medical crews, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
“Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this incredibly difficult time. Cambridgeshire Police have informed next of kin, who attended the scene of the accident yesterday.”
IMW Duxford is a historic airfield located eight miles south of Cambridge.
