Slazenger heir Michael Slazenger dies after plane crash

A RETIRED anaesthetist whose family founded the Slazenger sports brand died yesterday after being seriously injured in a plane crash in which another man was also killed.

Dr Michael Slazenger was taken to hospital with serious injuries after his light aircraft overturned and crashed at a private airstrip in the grounds of his estate in Ireland on Saturday afternoon.

The doctor's companion in the plane, Noel Whitney, 66, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The two-seater single-engine aircraft got into difficulties as it was attempting to land at Powerscourt Estate in Co Wicklow at around 3pm.

Shocked golfers on the course at the estate saw the plane's wing strike a tree before it flipped over, crashed and burst into flames at the end of the airstrip.

Dr Slazenger was rushed to Tallaght Hospital in Dublin and later transferred to the burns unit of St James' Hospital where he died.

Mr Whitney's body was taken to Loughlinstown Hospital in Dublin, where a post-mortem examination will be carried out.

An inquiry by the Department of Transport's Air Accident Investigation Unit is also under way.

The Powerscourt estate, famous for its castle and landscaped gardens, has been owned by the Slazenger family since 1961.