Passenger On Board Fatally Injured, Pilot Critical

A vintage P-51D went down Sunday in the U.K. Sunday afternoon, resulting in the fatal injury of the 80-year-old passenger on board, and critically injuring the pilot.

The U.K. newspaper The Daily Mail reports that the airplane, nicknamed 'Janie', is owned and operated by Maurice Hammond, a resident of Suffolk.

The plane went down about 3:30 Sunday afternoon in a field adjacent to Hardwick airfield near the town of Bungay, which is about 10 miles south of Norwich. A post-impact fire ensued, and while first responders were able to get Hammond out of the wreckage badly injured but alive, they were unable to save the passenger.

Hammond is reportedly a respected vintage aircraft mechanic who has worked on aircraft for "Plane Resurrection", a series carried by Netflix and the Discovery Channel.

A witness said they heard a "sputtering" noise before the power was reduced to idle. The witness, Charles Christian, said he thought the engine was backfiring, but the airplane appeared to be making a fairly normal approach. He saw the plane disappear behind some trees where the airport is located. He said there was no smoke coming from the engine.

(P-51D pictured in file photo. Not accident aircraft)

FMI: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/air-accidents-investigation-branch