Waddesdon air crash: Inquest opens into four who died

From left: Jaspal Singh Bhara, Saavan Singh Mundae, Mike Green and Nguyen Thanh Trung all died in the collision

Four men who were killed in a crash between a helicopter and a plane died from head injuries and multiple injuries, an inquest has heard.

Nguyen Thanh Trung, 32, from Vietnam, and Capt Mike Green, 74, of Berkshire, who were in the helicopter, died from multiple injuries in the crash near Waddesdon Manor, Buckinghamshire.

Saavan Mundae, 18, and Jaspal Bahra, 27, both from London, died from head injuries in the 17 November accident.

A full inquest will take place in 2018.

The mid-air collision between the two seater Cesna 152 and the helicopter happened 15 minutes after the helicopter took off at about 12:00 GMT.

The wreckage came down in a wooded area

Both had taken off from Wycombe Air Park, also known as Booker Airfield, about 20 miles away from the crash site.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Defence said the crash was caused when the Cessna suddenly dropped in height and hit the tail of the helicopter.

All four men died at the scene.

The inquest into their deaths was opened at Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire earlier.

At the time of the accident Captain Green, of Long Lane, Newbury, was in the helicopter giving a lesson to Vietnamese military officer Capt Trung.

The inquest heard that Mr Bahra, a flight instructor from Tokyngton Avenue, Wembley, was giving a lesson to Mr Mundae, a student from Kingwood Court, Richmond.

Emergency services were called at 12:06 GMT on Friday

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) is investigating the crash, assisted by Thames Valley Police.