A Gloucester man has been tragically killed in an air crash

in Spain. Royce Sutton, 47, died when the light aircraft he was

flying crashed into a forest in Mallorca.

His passenger, 33-year-old waiter Bruno Mendoza also

died.

The accident happened at about 8.30pm on Thursday at the

Aerodromo de Petra, close to Villafranca in the south-east of

the island.

Mr Sutton, who lived in Mallorca, is thought to have lost

control of the autogiro, a cross between a microlight and a

helicopter, before it plunged to the ground. Local newspaper

reports suggest that Mr Sutton reported feeling dizzy prior to

the crash.

Mr Mendoza been given the flight by his girlfriend as a

present to celebrate his birthday. It is believed she and

another friend were waiting at the airfield for the flight to

finish.

Mr Mendoza and Mr Sutton's bodies were discovered in the

burnt-out wreckage. It is understood that the pair had been

airbourne for less than 10 minutes before the accident.

Mr Sutton had three months' experience of flying autogiros

but had long held a flying licence for other aircraft.

Eyewitness reports in the Spanish media said the aircraft

appeared to lose height and fall into a forest close to the

main road from Palm-Manacor to Petra.

On impact, the autogiro hit a large tree and burst into

flames.

Neighbours saw a large column of smoke and alerted the

emergency services who rushed to the site, but both men were

declared dead at the scene.

Josep Sansó, the owner of the club ULM Es Cruce, which

organised the flight, said: “Our club is one of the safest in

Spain. I don't understand what could have happened.”

He said the aircraft Mr Sutton was flying was less than five

months old and was unlikely to have suffered a mechanical

error.

A microlight pilot was killed at the same airfield in a

similar crash 10 years ago.

The Foreign Office confirmed Mr Sutton's death and said

consular assistance has been provided to his family by the

British Consulate office on Mallorca.

An investigation by the Spanish Civil Aviation Authority and

police was initially hindered by darkness on Thursday night but

is understood to now be fully under way.

In 2001 father of two Keith Balch, 50, from Landford, near

Salisbury, died when his autogiro plunged 80ft to the ground at

Henstridge airfield near Sherborne, Dorsets.