Investigation into aircraft crash could last throughout the night: Aldham near Hadleigh, Suffolk, United Kingdom

A member of the public called police at about 11.20am with a report that a light aircraft had come down in Aldham, near Hadleigh, and hit a tree. The aircraft also became submerged in a pond between two farmhouses.

A body was found by firefighters in the wreckage.

It is unknown at this time whether there are any further casualties but air crash investigators will be at the scene into the night to clear the wreckage and try to establish a cause.

Detective Chief Inspector Neil Luckett said: “Emergency services were called to the scene by a member of the public who reported a light aircraft had come down in the village.

“We are in the very early stages of establishing what happened but it could take some considerable time.

“We have been speaking to witnesses as part of the ongoing investigation.”

A spokesman for the Search and Rescue team based at Wattisham Airfield said: “We are investigating if it (aircraft) hit power lines.”

Police, fire and ambulance crews were all called to the scene.

East of England Ambulance Service sent paramedics, a clinical manager and a hazardous area response team to the scene.

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service was called at 11.23am to the incident.

Crews from Woodbridge, Hadleigh, Needham Market, Bury St Edmunds and Halstead, Essex, were in attendance, along with the water rescue vehicle and crew.

A spokesman for UK Power Networks said at 11.34am 351 customers in the Reydon Road area of Aldham experienced an interruption to their power supplies because of a fault on the overhead electricity distribution network.

Shortly afterwards, UK Power Networks was contacted by the police to say there had been an incident in the village involving a light aircraft.

At 5.30pm 49 customers remained without power.

The spokesman said: “Our engineers have worked through the afternoon and will continue to do so into the night.”

A resident of Aldham, Dr Liz Cope, who lives close to the scene of the crash, was in the at the time but returned home to see emergency services in attendance. “It’s obviously very shocking,” she said.

Dennis Hill, who owns a property near the crash site, said the plane narrowly missed his house and several others as it plunged to the ground.

He said: “The plane flew across the fields and into the tree, before falling into the pond. My sons went to investigate, but our property was not damaged and it crashed two or three properties up from ours.”

Meanwhile, David Young, of nearby Elmsett Airfield, said he did not know where the plane had flown from or its intended destination.

The Air Accident Investigation Branch is looking into the cause of the tragedy.

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