Image caption The light aircraft crashed in a field off Mains Lane, between Whitwell-on-the-Hill and Wellburn

Two men killed in a light aircraft crash were RAF student pilots, police have said.

Cameron James Forster, 21, from Burgess Hill, West Sussex, and Ajvir Singh Sandhu, 25, from Essex, died when the plane came down in North Yorkshire on Saturday.

The pair, who were qualified to pilot the plane, were the only people on board when it crashed off Mains Lane, Ryedale, at about 10:40 BST, officers said.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch has launched an inquiry.

RAF Linton-on-Ouse station commander Group Captain Ian Laing said the base had been "saddened" to learn of the men's deaths.

"They were both exceptionally talented young men in the prime of their lives," he said.

"The thoughts of everyone at RAF Linton-on-Ouse are with their family and friends at this difficult time".