Police name plane crash death trio

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British Transport Police (BTP) said Nick O'Brien, 35, and his 29-year-old wife Emma, from Shirley, Solihull, West Midlands, were passengers on board the light aircraft when it crashed at Little Haywood, near Stafford, at about noon on Friday.

A BTP spokeswoman said the couple had two sons, Callum, aged 10, and 18-month-old Joel.

It is understood that the pilot of the plane, Alan Matthews, knew Mr O'Brien through his work with a Birmingham-based demolition firm.

Mr Matthews, a member of a flying club based near Lichfield, Staffordshire, was said by friends to be a well-liked and proficient pilot who had almost two decades of flying experience, often making trips to France and Spain.

His wife Jenny Matthews, from Walsall Wood, West Midlands, issued a short statement through BTP paying tribute to her husband as a "loving, caring" man who would help anybody and loved flying.

The BTP spokeswoman said: "Nick and Emma O'Brien married in August 2008 and leave behind two children. The families of all the victims ask the media to leave them to grieve in private at this time."

Meanwhile, work was continuing at the crash site on Saturday to gather evidence and recover the wreckage of the aircraft.

"The line is not expected to be fully restored this weekend and passengers are asked to check with their train operator before travelling," the BTP spokeswoman said.

The aircraft is believed to have been a Piper Cherokee based at the Sittles Flying Club, which operates from an airfield near the village of Fradley.