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Two men killed in light aircraft crash near Goodwood Airfield

BBC Police cordon at Goodwood air crashBBC
Police cordoned off a field close to the aerodrome following the crash

Two men have been killed in a light aircraft crash near an airport, police have confirmed.

The plane crashed just north of Goodwood Airfield near Chichester in West Sussex at about 16:30 BST on Wednesday, shortly after take off.

A 65-year-old man from Balls Cross, near Petworth in West Sussex, and a 58-year-old man from Gosport in Hampshire died, a Sussex Police spokesman said.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said it was investigating.

It said investigators remained on the scene where the light aircraft crashed.

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A pilot who had taken off from Goodwood Airfield shortly before the crash said he believed the plane had taken off between about 16:20 and 16:30.

He said: "Shortly after I took off another plane took off. Other air traffic was told not to enter the airport air traffic zone.

"I could see black smoke reaching 100ft (30m) at the other side of the runway just outside the bounds of the airfield itself."

Officer at cordon of Goodwood air crash
The emergency services asked people to avoid the area

West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service said crews started arriving at 16:38. South East Coast Ambulance Service paramedics were also at the scene.

A spokeswoman for Goodwood, the company which runs the airfield, confirmed two men had been killed in the crash and that the AAIB was investigating, but said it would not be commenting further.

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