Jet crash kills ex-motor racing champions

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Two former racing drivers are reported to have been killed when the executive jet on which they and three others were traveling crashed into a house southeast of London.

The twin-engined Cessna Citation I crashed on Sunday at Farnborough, about 25 km (15 miles) southeast of London, and burst into flames. Nobody on the ground was injured as the couple who lived in the house were on holiday.

Those who died have yet to be formally identified but UK media reports said the victims included David Leslie, 54, a former British Touring Car Championship driver and Richard Lloyd, 63, the boss of Apex Motorsport who was also a former touring car champion. Watch witnesses describe the ball of fire »

The plane had taken off from nearby Biggin Hill Airport and was heading to Pau, in southwest France.

It was only around 8km from Biggin Hill when the pilot made a distress call. It was just 3km from the airport when it crashed.

Shocked residents gathered in the streets nearby after the crash. Gary Walcraft, 16, said the pilot steered the plane away from the field where he was playing football with friends.

"The plane was coming down with its landing gear down as if to make an emergency landing on the field," he said. "I could see someone in the plane waving frantically out of the window at us to get out of the way.

"But at the last second the pilot pulled up somehow and gained some height. He was trying to avoid hitting us but then he clipped some trees and smashed into the house."

Local resident Ashley Cheesman also praised the pilot's bravery. "He obviously made a judgment call," he told The Times. "He did everything he could to keep that plane away from people. He made the right decision, whatever was going through his mind.

"He obviously knew the lie of the land; he kept hugging the woods. He was trying to avoid the houses."

Jason Morrell, another witness, said the plane was so low he "could see the people sitting on the plane panicking at the windows."

He added: "I could see it going into the houses. The woman next door to where the plane landed was hysterical. Her father had collapsed. We managed to drag him away from the scene."

Andrew Walters, chairman of Biggin Hill Airport, was unable to say what had caused the pilot to return but added that an investigation into the crash had been started. E-mail to a friend

All About London • Air Disasters