Cheltenham man died 'following his passion' in plane crash

Thames Valley Police were called to the crash in West Oxfordshire at around 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon.

Author: Harry LongPublished 24th Aug 2023

The wife of a Cheltenham man who died when flying his replica Spitfire has paid tribute to her much loved husband.

Thames Valley Police were called to the crash in West Oxfordshire at around 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon.

The family of 68 year old Trevor Bailey say he lost his life "following his passion." - after the crash in a field near the A44.

On social media his wife Kate Dove spoke of his family's devastation of losing the best husband, father, uncle and grandfather.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch is now looking into what caused the crash.

Superintendent Jen Hogben, local policing area commander for Cherwell and West Oxfordshire, said: “We, other emergency services and the AAIB remain on scene following this tragic incident.

“Our thoughts remain with the family of the pilot. A specially trained officer will be supporting them and we would ask for their privacy to be respected at this difficult time.

“We are conducting an investigation to understand the circumstances of the crash, and will be liaising with His Majesty’s coroner.

“The AAIB will also be conducting a parallel investigation to identify any learning for the aviation industry.

“A road closure is in place on the B4022 Tew Road, not far from the A44, which is likely to be in place for at least another 24 hours.

“We apologise for any inconvenience caused to residents, but the closure is necessary to allow investigation and recovery at the scene.

“There will be an increased police presence in the area, and we would advise residents who may have any concerns, or if they have information that could assist the investigation, to please speak to one of our uniformed officers who will be happy to assist.

“We would again kindly ask members of the public not to upload images of the incident to social media out of respect to those involved.

“We would again ask anyone with information, footage or photographs, around this incident who has not yet come forward to please contact us either online or by calling 101, quoting reference 1358 of yesterday’s date.”

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