An experienced pilot has been named as the woman who died in a plane crash in Devon, with tributes pouring in for the 'lovely lady'. Nicola Wright, 44, was killed when her light aircraft went down in a field near Dunkeswell Aerodrome last Friday, marking the fourth death at or around the site in just over 12 months.
Crash Details and Response
The pilot was confirmed to have died at the scene, Devon and Cornwall Police said. Emergency services attended the crash site, and the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) has launched an investigation. A spokesperson for the AAIB stated: 'An accident at Dunkeswell Airfield involving a light aircraft has been notified to the AAIB. An investigation has been launched.'
Superintendent Jo Arundale of Devon and Cornwall Police appealed for anyone with footage to contact police and not to post it online. She said: 'We will be working closely with The Air Accident Investigation Branch to thoroughly investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash this morning. We recognise it is a very sad incident and we are appealing to the public not to speculate regarding the crash. Furthermore, we would like to ask anybody who may have relevant footage to get in touch with us and not to post it online. Our thoughts are with the friends and family of the person involved.'
Tributes to Nicola Wright
Tributes have been paid to Ms Wright, who helped found the Weymouth-based medical equipment company Medisave with her partner Graham. One person said: 'So very sad and shocking to hear. What a lovely lady. Sending lots of love and strength to Graham and their children.' Another added: 'I am so saddened to hear this news and thinking of Graham, the children, wider family and everyone at Medisave at this time, who will all be devastated.' A third person said: 'So very tragic. Thoughts firmly with family, friends and colleagues and not forgetting all emergency workers involved.'
Nicola was an experienced pilot, having completed a 180 nautical-mile trip from Oaksey Park to Dunkeswell last year. The crash is the fourth fatality at or near Dunkeswell Aerodrome in just over 12 months, raising concerns about safety at the site. Anyone with information or relevant video footage is asked to call police on 101 or visit the police website quoting log 268 of 26 June.
