TRIBUTES have been paid to two young pilots who died when their plane crashed in Ryedale at the weekend.

Cameron James Forster, 21, from Sussex, and 25-year old Ajvir Singh Sandh, from Essex, were both student pilots in the RAF.

They were flying a light aircraft from the Full Sutton Flying Centre, near York, when it came down in a field off Mains Lane, between Castle Howard and the A64.

The crash happened at about 10.40am on Saturday. Up to 20 firefighters attended the scene and set up a foam blanket around the aircraft in case it caught fire. An air ambulance and a land ambulance were also sent to the site.

The station commander at Royal Air Force Linton-on-Ouse, Group Captain Ian Laing 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."

Superintendent Mark Grange, from North Yorkshire Police, said the plane had come down more than 200 metres away from the nearest houses and was still mostly intact.

He said: “It looks like it came straight down. It’s in a bad way and it’s obviously come down heavily. It’s sat on its underside so it has not flipped.

“Whether they tried to land like that I don’t know. "I cannot say where they were going and what they were doing in the air."

He added: "Events like these are not common. We don't get many light aircraft crashes, but they do happen.

"It's tragic for the families and our sympathies are with them."

Nicholas Howard, of the Castle Howard Estate, said: "The sudden shock is always terrible for those close to fatal accidents, and my heartfelt condolences go out to the families and friends of those who died in this crash."

Floral tributes have been left at the scene of including one of fellow aviators on the 72(R) Squadron which says: "Aj and Cam you'll be sadly missed by us all."

Another said: "Two RAF boys who died doing what they loved best, messing about in planes, May they rest in peace."

Experts from the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) are now trying to piece together exactly what went wrong with the flight.

A spokesperson said: "A team of AAIB investigators was deployed to the accident site to start an investigation. The wreckage is being transferred to our HQ at Farnborough for more detailed examination. We will publish a report on our findings when our investigation is complete. If any safety issues are identified, we may issue safety recommendations intended to prevent similar accidents in the future.”