Villagers shocked by fatal Essex plane crash

A plane crash that killed two people has been shocking and traumatising for people living near the scene, a minister has said.

The victims were on a 30-minute flight experience which plummeted into a field in High Ongar, Essex, at 12:30 BST on Tuesday.

The light aircraft, a two-seat Cessna, had set off from nearby North Weald Airfield eight minutes earlier.

Katherine Garner, a lay minister at St Mary's Church in the village, said: "It's a shock. It's a trauma for people when something dramatic like this happens."

Investigators have been trying to piece together how the crash happened and are yet to formally identify the victims.

Police have warned that the process will be "complex", and investigators are expected to remain at the scene off Mill Road for several days.

Garner said she was in a fellowship group when news broke of the incident, and she later invited people to the church.

"We wanted to be a place where people could come and just pray for those people involved," she said.

"I think people are shocked. Some people are sad. People are praying who might not normally pray in other circumstances."

It is understood the doomed trip was booked as part of a flight experience with North Weald Flight Training, with prices from £125 for a 30-minute journey.

Information on its website tells prospective customers they would sit in the front of the aircraft with access to "dual flight controls under the guidance of your fully certified and highly skilled flight instructor".

The aircraft had been flown twice already on Tuesday, according to tracking website Flightradar24. The fatal journey lasted eight minutes before it stopped being tracked on the website.

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