• Plane fell 300ft into a field in 'very rare' accident

By Simon Tomlinson

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A pilot has died after his microlight crashed into a field, it emerged today.

The plane is reported to have plunged between 200ft (61m) and 300ft (91m) in the accident, which happened near the village of Kennet in Clackmannanshire, Scotland at about 2.15pm yesterday.

The man was the only person in the microlight and he is thought to have been out flying alone, rather than with any official club or school.

'Very rare': A microlight pilot has died in this crash after falling around 300ft into a field near a farmhouse in Clackmannanshire, Scotland

'Very rare': A microlight pilot has died in this crash after falling around 300ft into a field near a farmhouse in Clackmannanshire, Scotland

Flying solo: The man was the only person in the microlight and he is thought to have been out alone, rather than with any official club or school

Flying solo: The man was the only person in the microlight and he is thought to have been out alone, rather than with any official club or school

There were no reports of anyone else being injured.

Yesterday evening, a red tent covered the wreckage and the Air Accidents Investigation Branch was in attendance.

The aircraft came down close to a farmhouse next to the field.

Central Scotland Fire and Rescue Service said earlier that it had one appliance from Alloa on stand-by.

Probe: Police and the Air Accidents Investigation Branch are trying to establish what caused the crash

Probe: Police and the Air Accidents Investigation Branch are trying to establish what caused the crash

Gordon Douglas is the chief flying instructor and owner of East of Scotland Microlights, a school based at East Fortune Airfield in East Lothian which trains people to fly microlights.

He has been flying the aircraft for about 30 years.

He said microlight accidents were 'very rare' and that anyone wishing to fly one in the UK has to have a proper pilot's licence.

Mr Douglas said: 'Training is of a standard these days that it is very rare for anyone to have an accident. It's tragic.'