Microlight crash victim ‘should not have been flying’

THE pilot killed when his aircraft crashed into a field “should not have been flying”, authorities said today.

He has been named as Adrian Paterson from Clackmannan. The 49-year-old reportedly fell between 200ft and 300ft in the incident on Thursday afternoon.

He was the only person in the microlight plane, authorites said. It is thought he was out flying alone, not with an official flying club or school.

A spokesman for the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said the microlight, built in 1989, was de-registered last year.

He said that meant it “should not have been flying”.

Records show the aircraft was last registered to an address in Batley, West Yorkshire, in 1991. This was cancelled in December 2011.

A licence is required to fly the craft in the UK.

The CAA spokesman said an investigation was being carried out by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB).