A pilot who taught Countdown star Carol Vorderman to loop-the-loop has been killed in a horror plane crash.
Emily Collett had been practising a mid-air stunt when she crashed into a field with student film maker Tom Castle.
Mrs Collett, 36, and Mr Castle, 43, died when the Pitts S-2A plane crashed in Oxfordshire on Saturday afternoon.
The plane, which has a top speed of 200mph went down near the village of Stonor, after taking off from White Waltham airfield near Maidenhead, earlier in the day.
Emily Collett (right), who took former Countdown presenter Carol Vorderman (left) up in her plane, was killed in a crash
Police were pictured at the scene in Stonor on Saturday afternoon (pictured above)
Mrs Collett had instructed Ms Vorderman, 58, how to perform a loop-the-loop in her two seater aircraft in July 2017, the Mirror reported.
At the time she posted photos of themselves on social media, whith the caption: ‘I loved doing the loop with this top woman Emily Collett . . . just brilliant x.’
Mrs Collett had studied at Cambridge and ran the Ultimate Aerobatics company with her husband Mike.
She had also previously competed with the British Advanced Aerobatics team.
Ms Vorderman (left) had been instructed by Mrs Collett (right) to do the loop-the-loop back in 2017
Ms Vorderman (pictured above) had previously said she had ‘loved’ doing the loop-the-loop with Mrs Collett
Both Mrs Collett and Mr Castle were pronounced dead at the scene after Thames Valley Police received reports of a crash at 2.10pm in Stonor, near Henley on Saturday afternoon.
The pair had been the only two on board the plane and the force stated that no one else had been injured.
On Sunday, the Air Accidents Investigation Branch, who had been assisting Thames Valley Police said: ‘On 24 August 2019 at approximately 1400 hrs local time, a small bi-plane crashed near Stonor, Oxfordshire.
‘It is understood the two occupants were fatally injured.
The map above shows where the incident happened near Henley, Oxfordshire, on Saturday afternoon
‘The Air Accidents Investigation Branch were notified and accident investigators are travelling to the site to examine the aircraft and to commence a field investigation examining all aspects of the aircraft’s operation.
‘The aircraft wreckage will be recovered to the AAIB’s facility at Farnborough for more detailed examination. The AAIB investigation will take some time and an accident report will be released in due course.’
During her career, Mrs Collett had won the UK Standard class nationals in G-ODDS using the plane.
According to her LinkedIn profile she had been a civil servant with the UK Government for 18 years after graduating with a Master of Engineering.
Pictured, the Air Accidents Investigation Branch at the scene on Sunday morning
She had previously stated that the aircraft she had been using when she crashed at the weekend would ‘show up all your mistakes’ so that ‘you can prevent them’.
As well as this she was director of the British Aerobatic Association.
In 2016 she won the British Women Pilots’ Association’s Flying High Scholarship and had also competed at the World Advanced Aerobatics Championships.
Speaking over the weekend Graeme Fudge, of the British Aerobatic Association told the Sun that Mrs Collett had been ‘incredibly talented’.
‘Emily was an incredibly talented and highly experienced aerobatic pilot.
‘A caring and considerate nature, Emily’s generosity in sharing her knowledge and time to help others was well known in the aerobatic community and beyond, helping many pilots achieve their goals.
‘Emily will be sadly missed by all who knew her and our thoughts are with her family and friends who have lost a wonderful daughter, wife and friend.’