Westgate pilot and former Conservative councillor Simon Moores had died in an aircraft crash in Spain.
The 62-year-old was flying a G-OARI – Piper Arrow 3 PA28R which went down near Errezil in the north of the country during thick fog.
Mr Moores, who is the brother-in-law of celebrity chef Paul Hollywood, is reported to have been flying from the Portuguese town of Cascais to San Sebastian when the plane went down at about 2pm.
Now look for airplane at maintenance facility to prepare for the morning flight home 👍✈️ pic.twitter.com/YzFkJyKbjF
— Simon Moores (@SimonMoores) January 8, 2019
A fellow pilot posted to social media of his ‘devastation’ at the news.
The dad-of-two was the Managing Director of Zentelligence (Research) Ltd, advising huge firms such as Microsoft.
As an experienced commercial pilot Simon worked with the BBC, Sky News and Channel 4 News. He was also involved in professional air display work in the summer months and a lecturer at Canterbury Christ Church University.
He was a Conservative district councillor between 2007 and 2011.
A second man also died in the incident but has not yet been identified, according to rescue team UVR Ertzaintza.