First picture of millionaire couple killed as helicopter crashes after take-off at five-star golfing hotel

Paul and Linda Spencer, who ran a successful chain of craftware stores, died instantly when the privately-owned Gazelle aircraft came down in woodland.

Following Saturday's crash, pilots have suggested the 43-year-old millionaire was too inexperienced to be at the controls by himself in what were blustery conditions.

Yesterday it was revealed that the £250,000 helicopter - previously owned by DJ Neil Fox - had just been given an overhaul and that Mr Spencer had apparently decided to take his wife for a short ride in it.

Scroll down for more...

Earlier in the day he had flown it from Essex to North Yorkshire with an experienced pilot alongside him, and after reaching Rudding Park Hotel, Harrogate, where he and his wife were having dinner, had packed the aircraft away for the night.

But later that afternoon, at about 4pm, Mr Spencer took off again along with his 59-year-old wife, who had two daughters by a previous relationship, crashing moments later in a copse on the hotel's golf course.

Investigators are now trying to establish whether the accident was caused by pilot error, mechanical failure or a freak gust of wind.

Yesterday the chief engineer who had given the helicopter a thorough service the day before told of his shock at the double tragedy.

"Paul had called me several times asking whether it was ready yet because he was so keen to pick it up," said Hossein Seylani, of Romford-based MV Helicopters.

Scroll down for more...

"He'd only had it a few weeks, and most of his flying has been in planes rather than helicopters, so when he flew it up to Harrogate he had a more experienced pilot alongside him.

"The trip took about an-hour-and-a-half, and when they got there, because it was a bit windy, they tied it down for the night, which usually means you're not planning on flying it again.

"But then his wife came to pick him up and he decided to take her on a short flight, just a quick spin, and that's when the crash happened.

"It's such a tragedy - he was a lovely man and very enthusiastic about flying."

Mr and Mrs Spencer owned Country Baskets, a business which began as a market stall in Halifax but has grown into a multi-million pound chain of stores selling artificial flowers and other decorations.

They lived in a converted barn near Brighouse, West Yorkshire, but had a holiday home 20 miles away at Rudding Park.

The couple had recently returned from a holiday in the Caribbean while one of Mrs Spencer's two daughters, 34-year-old Natalie Carr, was on a skiing trip when she was informed of their deaths.

In a statement their family told how the couple were "devoted" to one another.

It went on: "They were hugely generous to all around them, often helping people who were less fortunate than themselves."

Neighbours said Mr Spencer had only recently acquired his pilot's licence.

Scroll down for more...

One, Gary Newburn, said: "They were a really nice couple and very successful. They had plenty of money but it did not affect them."

The black-painted helicopter, a Gazelle built in 1977, used to belong to DJ Neil Fox and was registered in Serbia.

It had for many years been serviced by MV Helicopters, which pioneered the adaptation of the high-performance, military-designed Gazelle for private enthusiasts.

They had renewed its certificate of airworthiness after last week's overhaul.

Air accident investigators are now examining the cause of the crash.