RAF pays tribute to young Sussex pilot who died in crash

The RAF has paid tribute to two '˜exceptionally talented' young pilots who died in a plane crash last weekend.
Firefighters at the scene of the crash on Saturday (April 30). SWNS SUS-160305-114919001Firefighters at the scene of the crash on Saturday (April 30). SWNS SUS-160305-114919001
Firefighters at the scene of the crash on Saturday (April 30). SWNS SUS-160305-114919001

Trainee pilots Cameron James Forster, 21, from Sussex, and Ajvir Singh Sandhu, 25, from Essex, died after the crash in North Yorkshire on Saturday morning (April 30). They were flying a private aircraft at the time of the crash.

Both men were Royal Air Force officers and were student pilots undertaking basic jet training at RAF Linton-on-Ouse, near York.

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Captain Ian Laing, station commander of RAF Linton-on-Ouse, said: “We were very saddened to hear of the deaths of Aj Sandhu and Cam Forster in a civilian flying accident at the weekend.

“They were both exceptionally talented young men in the prime of their lives. The thoughts of everyone at RAF Linton-on-Ouse are with their family and friends at this difficult time.”

The pair crashed near Castle Howard, a stately home in Ryesgate, North Yorkshire at around 10.40am.

Emergency services - including an air ambulance – were called to the crash site but the men were declared dead at the scene.

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The pilots are thought to have rented the plane from a nearby flight centre earlier that morning.

The Air Accident Investigations Branch (AAIB) has opened an investigation into what caused the crash.

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