'My soul mate' died in Essex plane crash, says grieving wife

 
Crash: Emergency workers at the scene where the plane came down Picture: Essex County Fire and Rescue Service
David Churchill31 March 2014

The wife of one of two men instantly killed when their plane nose-dived into the ground after a “loop-the-loop” today said she has lost her “best friend and soul mate”.

Simon Chamberlain, 29, a father of a one-year-old boy from Harlow, died after the YAK 52 light aircraft he was a passenger in crashed in a field near Chelmsford, Essex.

Witnesses told how it plunged to the ground after apparently attempting daring aerobatic manoeuvres.

In an emotional joint statement Mr Chamberlain’s family said: “Lizzie, his wife, has lost her best friend and soul mate. His son, Charlie, who will be two-years-old in August, has lost his father. And his parents, Paul and Steph, have lost a loving son. He would have been 30 in May.”

It added: “We love him more than anything in the world. Our hearts also go out to the other person involved in this tragedy.”

The pilot, also from Essex, has not yet been named. The plane had taken off from North Weald Airfield but crashed into farmland adjacent to the A414 at around 3pm on Saturday.

A number of eyewitnesses described seeing the plane somersaulting before crashing and rushing to the passengers’ aid, but were rendered helpless by the violent flames.

Tristram Taylor, from Chelmsford, told how he ran towards the crash site after seeing the plane get into trouble while driving in the car with his mother.

He said: “We saw it dip behind a hedge and usually they come [back] up – we see stunt planes carrying out moves around here quite a lot – but this time it didn’t.

“We went a bit further down the road and I could then see the tail end of the plane on the ground and a lot of smoke.

“I got out and ran towards it with a couple of Army cadets that were in the car behind, they were probably only about 15 or 16-years-old.

“There were flames coming from the cockpit. They must have been about 10ft high.

“I could feel the heat of the flames just a few feet away. It was horrific. The plane was popping and spitting where the fuel was catching fire. I don’t think anything could have been done.”

Police, ambulances and up to five fire crews arrived within minutes but the wreckage had already been ravaged by flames.

Joy Smith, 69, whose house backs onto the crash site, said: “Me and my husband were in the garden when we saw the plane dip and then disappear out of view.

“The plane came in very, very low, almost touching the tops of the trees at the bottom of the garden. The planes regularly practice aerobatics in the field behind our house.

“It turned up on itself similar to a loop-the-loop and then took a sharp turn to the floor.”

Mark Reynolds, 47, a chef at nearby restaurant The Bakehouse, said: “We kept saying the plane was very low in the air and the next thing it nose nose-dived into the ground, completely vertical, and burst into flames. When we got to the plane it was engulfed in flames. It was like something you see in a movie.”

The Air Accident Investigation Branch is investigating the crash.

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