The young pilot and passenger who tragically died when an aircraft crashed into a field have been pictured for the first time.
Those onboard the two-seater were today named as pilot Matthew Bird, 21, from Spofforth, and passenger Oliver Dawes, 24, from Burley in Wharfedale.
Locals have revealed there was a ‘colossal bang’ as the aircraft – reportedly trying to perform a controlled crash landing – hurtled into a field, killing both men.
Emergency services were today preparing to remove the wreckage of the plane from a large field outside the picture postcard village of Thorganby, near Selby.
Villagers said the aircraft appeared to have landed relatively in one piece and believed the pilot was trying to carry out a controlled crash landing when tragedy struck on Sunday morning.
In a statement, Matthew’s family paid tribute today: ‘Yesterday we lost our son, a brother, grandson, nephew, cousin and friend.
‘Matthew meant so much to so many. We are utterly heartbroken but he will live on in our hearts as we cherish the incredibly special memories he’s left us with.’
The pilot onboard the two-seater was today named as Matthew Bird, 21, from Spofforth
The passenger was Oliver Dawes, 24, (pictured) from Burley in Wharfedale
An aerial view of the crash site in North Yorkshire where two men in their 20s died after the light aircraft they were flying in crashed
Today, Oliver’s family said in a statement: ‘Yesterday, we lost a dearly loved son, cousin, nephew and friend.
‘Oliver will continue to live on in our hearts and memories as the kind, generous, hardworking and fun man he had become. We will miss him every day for the rest of our lives, we are heartbroken.’
Investigations into the circumstances surrounding the incident continue.
An eyewitness told MailOnline: ‘It was a bit quiet through the village this morning.
‘I did not see it but I heard it. I was doing this walk. I heard a colossal bang but did not see the plane coming down. I was concentrating on the dog.
‘At first I thought it was something coming from one of the farms. It sounded like a dumper truck dropping a load of something like that – just a big bang.’
Although the field may appear soft, much of the area consists of rutted soil which one local described as ‘hard as concrete’.
The man added: ‘The ground is really hard here and full of craters. I think where the crash happened is very similar to here.
‘It is a dreadful thing to happen. Two young lives ended too soon. There is little planes that buzz around here most weekends.’
Another local said: ‘I was out on my bike when it happened. I saw one police car half parked across the road. I could see the plane in the field.
‘It was all in one piece. There was no wreckage and it was not on fire. It looked just like a plane. It is quite a large field and it looked like he had tried to carry out a controlled crash landing.
‘Before I knewm it a load more police vans had turned up and the road was closed before lunchtime.
‘It is lucky it happened so far out from the village otherwise it could have been a disaster. We do have a lot of light aircraft over the village because there are several airfields nearby.
‘Some people are not very happy about it.
‘It is not so much a problem with low flying. It is more the constant drone of them flying over. You often see them doing loop the loops over the village.
‘I am not saying anything like that happened here because we do not know the circumstances. It looks more like they were trying to get it down into the field.’
The road remained closed yesterday with police barricades set up at both ends.
More police vans and low loaders were seen pulling into the field along with figures dressed in khaki and high visibility vests.
Police near the scene at Thorganby near York, in North Yorkshire, on Sunday
Officers, fire crews, the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and paramedics were called to the village of Thorganby between Selby and York at around 9.50am yesterday
A map showing the site of the crash near the village of Thorganby
Police said the next of kin of the two dead men have been told and formal identification processes are currently underway
Pictures from the scene show police cars and vans continue to be parked along the side of a country road.
Selby MP Keir Mather posted: ‘Incredibly saddened by the news.’
A Yorkshire Air Ambulance left the scene at 11.30am and members of the coastguard were also there, according to reports.
A spokesman for North Yorkshire Police said at the time: ‘We were called to an incident involving a light aircraft at a rural location in Thorganby, Selby at around 9.50am today.
‘A two-seater light aeroplane with two occupants had crashed in a field.
‘Sadly, two men in their 20s believed to be the pilot and passenger have been pronounced dead.
‘Their next of kin have been told and formal identification processes are currently under way. No further injuries have been reported.
A previous statement from the force said: ‘We remain on the scene along with other emergency services and further updates will follow.’