Two Brits dead after planes 'crash mid-air' in France

Andrew Buck, 37, and another man, 18 died in the accident.
Andrew Buck/Facebook

Two British men who were on a flying holiday have died after a mid-air plane crash in France, officials have said.

Andrew Buck, 37, from Seaham Harbour in Durham and another man, 18, were pilot and passenger of the light aircraft, which plunged into woodland near the Italian border on Wednesday, killing them both.

French authorities said the other pilot escaped with only minor injuries after managing to land his own plane nearby.

Mr Buck and his teenage companion, who has not been named, were part of a flying trip from Newcastle to Malta.

Hours before the collision, Mr Buck posted pictures taken from the cockpit as it flew over Barcelonnette-Saint-Pons airstrip.

The two planes reportedly collided over the Maddalena Pass at an altitude of 2,775m.

However in a statement, company Purple Aviation, which operates at Eshott Airfield in Northumbria where Mr Buck often flew from, disputed claims that there was a mid-air collision.

"Purple Aviation extends its deepest sympathies to the families of the two men who died in a tragic accident in the Alps today," it read.

"We can confirm that there was no mid air collision as described, and that the pilot of the first aircraft to crash walked away from the wreckage unharmed after a well executed forced landing."

The company said the men were in a plane that was part of a private expedition of five aircraft travelling from Newcastle to Malta, confirming that the accident happened over the Maddalena Pass.

"Whilst the expedition was not organised by Purple Aviation, the team included two company directors, Richard Pike and Sam Woodgate," the statement added.

Mr Pike added: “This was a group of experienced pilots and close friends embarking on the trip of a lifetime, which has been planned over the last year.

"The pilot who died was flying an aircraft loaned by Purple Aviation as part of the support network for the trip.

"The passenger in the plane, who was also killed in the crash, was another close friend."

An investigation is now ongoing by French aviation authorities, and they have been provided with the expedition’s film footage of the incident to see how events unfolded," he added.

A Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesman confirmed that the men had died.

He said: "We are in contact with the local authorities about the death of two British men in France and we are offering assistance to their families."

Olivier Jacob, prefect of Alpes de Haute Provence, said French emergency services - including mountain police, a police helicopter, three ambulances and 22 fire crew - attended the scene near the French-Italian border.

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