Fans mourn death of rally hero

The 39-year-old father of two died along with his son Johnny and two family friends when the helicopter he was piloting went down in the grounds of the family home in Lanarkshire.

The other victims were named as six-year-old Ben Porcelli, of Lanark, and Graeme Duncan, 37, who lived in France.

Formula One stars Sir Jackie Stewart and David Coulthard were among those to pay tribute, as well as Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond.

McRae's father Jimmy, himself a five-time British rally champion, spoke of the family's "sadness and regret" at the news.

He said: "It is unbelievable that Colin and Johnny's lives have been taken so prematurely and in such a tragic manner. Colin was a great son, a loving husband to Alison and a fantastic father to Johnny and his big sister Hollie.

He said that the other youngster on board the helicopter had been a "great buddy" of his grandson, while Mr Duncan was a school friend of Colin's who now lived in France but was home on holiday.

The parents of Ben Porcelli, Mark and Karen Porcelli, said in a statement "We are absolutely devastated with the loss of our son Ben following this terrible accident. He was a charming, fun-loving and caring wee boy - the best boy in the world who enjoyed great times with his wee pal Johnny. It is just so tragic that their lives have been cut so short."

The Twin Squirrel helicopter which McRae owned came down about 4.10pm, bursting into flames and starting a massive fire, which was fought by 40 firefighters at one stage.

It was returning to McRae's home at Jerviswood from a visit to the nearby village of Quarter when the aircraft got into difficulty, police said.