Accident Occurred Over West Sussex Airport

An airplane reported to be an unspecified Vans model collided with a Diamond DA20 near Shoreham Airport in West Sussex, UK on Monday, resulting in the fatal injury to the pilot of the Vans.

Diamond DA20

The pilot of the Vans was reportedly able to steer his aircraft away from populated areas before coming down in a nearby park without its vertical stabilizer, according to multiple sources in the British media. The 63-year-old pilot was killed when the plane reportedly nose-dived into the ground and exploded.

The DA20 was badly damaged, but that pilot was able to land safely.

Witnesses said parts of the Vans fell in a playground where children were playing, but no one on the ground was injured in the accident. A student pilot at the airport told the London Daily Mail that the Diamond landed "minus its engine." He told the paper that the Vans had appeared to hit the Diamond at an angle, tearing off the engine. The Diamond, which was on a training flight with an instructor and a student, managed to make a safe emergency landing.

The accident is under investigation by the U.K.'s Air Accidents Investigation Branch.

FMI: www.aaib.gov.uk