Pilot killed in horror plane crash into hills moments after taking off

The pilot of a ‘small aircraft’ which crashed in Scotland this morning has died, police have confirmed.

Emergency services rushed to a field near Fife Airport, Kinglassie, shortly before 12pm this morning following reports of a plane crash.

The plane, which had only just taken off from the nearby airport, reportedly made ‘strange manoeuvres’ before plummeting into the meadow, onlookers said.

Now, police have confirmed that the plane’s pilot, a 50-year-old man, died at the scene.

The man is yet to be named but his next of kin have been informed.

No one else was injured in the crash, police confirmed.

One Kinglassie resident recalled hearing a ‘loud bang’ at the moment the plane hit the ground.

They told The Scottish Sun: ‘There was a loud bang and two guys who had been painting the pavilion at the football pitch ran up to see what was going on.

‘It’s just terrible, it took off from just over the hill at the airport, how frightening it would be to witness that.’

The Kinglassie Miners Welfare and Bowling Club, which closed for the day following the crash, is being used as a support hub for emergency services.

Both police and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service were quick to respond to the crash this morning.

A spokesman for the rescue service said: ‘We were alerted at 11.38am on Monday, 23 December, to an incident involving a light aircraft near Kinglassie, Fife.

‘Operations Control mobilised two appliances and a heavy rescue unit to the scene to assist emergency services partners.’

A police presence remains at the scene.

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