A plane crash near Tewkesbury that led to the deaths of two men was “exceptionally rare”, according to Gloucestershire Airport.

A light aircraft crashed in a field at Overbury Court, six miles from Tewkesbury, at around 12.45pm on Monday.

Emergency services rushed to the scene but when they got there the two men, the pilot and passenger, were already dead.

The plane was owned by flight training school Aeros, based at the airport, and was making its inbound journey towards Staverton.

Head of operations at Gloucestershire Airport Darren Lewington said today that while everyone connected to the airport was deeply saddened by what had happened, people needed to realise that plane travel was relatively safe.

The scene of the aircraft crash on Bredon Hill, The Overbury Estate, on Monday

He said: “This kind of thing is exceptionally rare. Aviation is one of the highest regulated, and therefore safest, methods of transport.”

He said the incident, which he had already previously described as a “tragic accident”, had affected staff at the airport.

“Although we’re a very busy airport, aviation is a relatively small community. It’s difficult for all those involved to come to terms with tragedies like this. Our thoughts and condolences are with those affected.”

Aeros has sites in Coventry, Gloucester, Nottingham, Cardiff and Stratford-upon-Avon.

A spokeswoman for its site in Gloucester, which is at Gloucestershire Airport, said the company would release a statement about the incident “in due course” and did not want to comment at this stage.