An engine defect probably caused a light aircraft to crash, killing four people including a Bradford businessman.

The plane piloted by Gerry Davitt, 42, of Naburn, North Yorkshire, who ran lorry tarpaulin company Side Curtain Centre in Wakefield Road, Bradford, crashed into a field near Selby last year.

Mr Davitt's father Laurence Davitt, 67, a retired taxi driver from Heworth, York; Kenneth Moore, 53, of Harrogate, and Paul Blackburn, 52, of Spofforth, were also killed.

At an inquest in Harrogate yesterday, air crash investigator, Andrew Robinson, admitted that it was hard to define exactly what caused the crash, but said there were defects with the engine and the auto pilot.

Witnesses also told the hearing of the last moments of the stricken light aircraft before it plunged to the ground. Accountant Claire Bell said she had seen "an aircraft falling out of the sky".

She said she had been driving to work when she saw an aircraft spinning downwards near Heming-brough. Only ten seconds later she saw "some sort of wreckage in a field and plumes of smoke".

Coroner Jeremy Cave described the loss of life as tragic.

All the men died of multiple injuries and were identified from dental records and jewellery.

Witnesses John Denham, Richard Howard and David Skelton told the inquest jury they had seen the four men at Sherburn-in-Elmet Aero Club earlier that day.

Mr Howard said: "They all seemed in good humour."

At about 8.30am, Robert Dennis, who lives near the crash scene at Brackenholme, was feeding his dogs when he heard an engine cut out.

"I heard it try to restart four or five times and then there was just a drone."

The jury of eight women and one man recorded a verdict of accidental death on all four men.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.