THE man who died in a plane crash over the weekend has been named as Andrew Anderson. Mr Anderson worked at Cable & Wireless and has two children. He was a keen aviation enthusiast.

‘He helped at both the Alderney and Guernsey air rallies for a number of years, normally with marshalling,’ said Aero Club chairman Colin Ferbrache.

‘He was a great aviation enthusiast and had often flown with Rob [Le Page], visiting various airfields. What happened is a tragedy. ‘

Mr Le Page was piloting the plane, which came down on Saturday, and his front seat passenger Dave Bougourd. They were still in a critical condition today at Salisbury’s District Hospital.

Members of the club are still coming to terms with the tragedy.

‘I’ve flown with Rob quite a few times in the past and I’ve known Dave for about 30 years,’ said Tim Langmead, who is involved with the aviation enthusiasts.

They meet every week and are led by Mr Bougourd, who works as an air traffic control assistant.

‘It came as a great shock to everyone and I am still getting over it. I hope they will both get over this ordeal.’

Mr Le Page, an architect, experienced problems moments after taking off from Bournemouth International Airport and turned the single-engine aircraft around. He tried to reach the runway, but lost height and crashed into a hedge just outside a family theme park. The Tobago Socata plane burst into flames.

Mark Trenchard, vice-president of the Guernsey Chamber of Commerce, of which Mr Le Page is a council member, described Mr Le Page as a very valued member of the committee.

‘He is a senior member of the transport committee and has been at the forefront of most of Chamber’s policies with regards to the airport,’ he said.

‘Our thoughts are with him and also his family and we hope for a favourable outcome.’

Mr Le Page has held a private pilot’s licence for nearly 11 years and has been flying with friends since the early 70s.

The Air Accident Investigation Branch of the UK’s Department for Transport will try to determine the cause of the accident.