The pilot of a historic aircraft was killed today when the wooden plane crashed in front of more than 600 spectators at an airshow.
The de-Haviland DH53 Hummingbird had been in the air for only a few minutes when pilot Trevor Roche lost control.
The veteran plane, one of only a handful left in the world, crashed into a field just 300 yards from the crowd.
It had been a showpiece exhibit in the museum at the aerodrome which houses the Shuttleworth Collection of planes.
Mr Roche had travelled from his home to Bedfordshire to take part in the Military Pageant Airshow at Old Warden Aerodrome near Biggleswade.
The aircraft shattered into pieces as it crashed at around 9.45am this morning.
Former RAF pilot and Gulf War veteran Mr Roche, who was flying solo, was killed instantly in the incident and organisers of the airshow immediately cancelled the event.
A pathologist was expected to examine the body to establish the cause of death as officials from the Air Accident Investigation Bureau began an official inquiry into the tragedy.
Emergency services rushed to the scene following the crash.
A spokesman for Bedfordshire Police said that officers were called to the airshow at Old Warden after a stream of 999 calls.
'The incident happened at Old Warden Aerodrome, also known as the Shuttleworth Collection, as 600 people attended a Military Pageant Air Show.
'Members of Bedfordshire Police along with Bedfordshire and Luton Fire and Rescue Service, East of England Ambulance Service and the aerodrome's own fire service attended the incident to assist the pilot.
'The incident is being investigated by the Air Accident Investigation Branch, the AAIB, who are in attendance at the airfield.'
A spokesman from the AAIB confirmed that a team had been sent to the airfield to look into what had caused the crash.
'The Air Accidents Investigation Branch is aware of the incident and have deployed a team of officers to investigate the situation,' he said.
Tragic Mr Roche had been the chief pilot for the Shuttleworth Collection, but stepped down two years ago, despite staying on as a pilot.
The former RAF Tornado pilot flew in the first Gulf War with the Armed Forces before becoming a commercial pilot with British Airways, flying Boeing 767s and 777s.
He had flown with the Collection since 1995.
Spectators had paid £20 for entry into the show, which was to have featured a number of historic planes including the DH53, which was thought to have been a prototype airframe, G-EBHX, and one of the only surviving examples.
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