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Fatal Kent air crash investigated

Farnborough - House hit by plane
Farnborough - House hit by plane

Rescue workers in Britain will today remove the bodies of five people from the wreckage of a Cessna twin engine jet that crashed into a house in Kent yesterday.

The two pilots and three passengers were killed when the plane crashed in Farnborough shortly after taking off.

Air crash investigators are beginning to sift through the wreckage to find out what caused the crash.

The Cessna Citation jet burst into flames as it clipped a house and hit a garage.

Nobody on the ground was killed as the occupants of the house were away on holiday.

The two pilots and three passengers on the plane have not been formally identified, but are said to include pilot Mike Roberts and passengers David Leslie and Richard Lloyd who were both former touring car champion drivers.

The business flight had just taken off from Biggin Hill airport and was heading to southwestern France.

The pilot had radioed a Mayday call saying he was experiencing engine vibrations and was attempting to return to the airport when the plane crashed.

He is reported in newspapers today as a hero for steering the aircraft away from crowded areas as it came down at the edge of a housing estate.