A PLANE which crashed and killed a Worcestershire couple, leaving their six-year-old son orphaned, was seen turning "like it was performing an aerobatic display" as it stalled in the sky during poor weather conditions, an inquest jury heard this morning.

Lewis and Sally Tonkinson had been returning home in their light aircraft after visiting friends on the Isle of Wight when the plane came crashing down near a tree-line at a Hampshire airfield.

The tragic couple were pulled from the wreckage and pronounced dead at the scene having suffered unsurvivable traumatic injuries on January 3 2015 - just two days after Mr Tonkinson's 50th birthday.

The only survivor was the couple's six-year-old son, George, who was rushed from the crash site near Popham airfield to Southampton General Hospital where he was treated for his injuries.

The youngster's father had been piloting the vehicle before the engine stalled and seized during a wet and windy January afternoon.

Coroner Andrew Bradley heard at the inquest in Basingstoke today that the Pioneer 400 aircraft had been spotted by a motorist as it swivelled in the sky in an almost "aerobatic" manoeuvre.

Giving evidence at the inquest, witness Stuart Polfrey said: "I saw a small aircraft flying around Popham airfield before the crash.

"I was returning along the A303 towards my home in Overton. It was a grim January day and on and off it was spitting.

"Some time later on the A30 slip road I saw a small light aircraft ahead of me, and I watched it for three to four minutes.

"The plane reappeared and appeared to be flying vertically and across. It was more of a turn you would see at an aerobatic display.

"It was flying lower than a normal plane approach. It was swivelling on the centre of its axis. It was like they were struggling to keep it in control.

"I was concerned because when I last saw it I could not see anywhere it could go and thought a crash could happen.

"As I approached home I saw the fire engine heading in the opposite direction and I put two and two together."

Experienced pilot Melvyn Hiscock, who was a radio operator at Popham airfield that day, told the coroner that he personally would not have flown that day.

Mr Hiscock and his colleagues noticed the plane coming in low and very close to the tree line with its wheels down, and discussed whether the pilot was "showing off to his passengers."

"When I saw it level with the tops of the trees close to the road it was already lower than trees on the far side," Mr Hiscock said.

"I said, 'I don't care what he is doing, he can explain it to the police, I am calling 999'."

Mr Hiscock said that he and his colleagues did not see any cause for concern at first until the plane changed direction.

He added: "There was no high wind and no gusting at a low level, he should have been able to get in."

Adrian Cope from the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) inspected the condition of the aircraft to check for faults, and found that the engine had seized before the plane fell from the sky.

"The crank shaft of the engine which is attached to the propeller was seized within the engine block," Mr Cope said.

"The propeller blades had very little damage to them which indicates that the engine was not turning as the aircraft impacted the trees and then the ground.

"There was a problem with the turbo which ended up with the engine seizing. Everything was working consistently and normally up until that point.

"This is what we call a stalled aircraft. The throttle was too high which caused too much power for the engine to handle. Why the pilot did this we do not know."

The jury heard that the weather was bad that day and it was possible that Mr Tonkinson had either not seen the reports or did not understand the significance of them.

However, AAIB investigators said they believed the pilot's decision to head towards Popham had been "deliberate."

Scott Wilson of the AAIB told the jury that the "overriding factor" of the crash was the weather.

"The pilot was aiming to fly into the runway, started descending and had landing gear down, then realised he was lower than he wanted to be at that point and added power," Mr Wilson said.

"He may not have been aware of doing that.

"The surviving passenger was a very young boy. We had quite a long session with him and one bit of evidence that we are happy to accept was that his father had told him to take the brace position.

"That tells me the pilot was aware they were in difficulties and he was conscious at the time, and doing his best to avoid it.

"I believe the weather was the overriding factor. He would not have been in this position had it not been for the weather."

In a statement read at the inquest, close family friend Nina Cooper described her last moments with the tragic family.

The Tonkinsons had gone to visit the Coopers on the Isle of Wight on January 2, 2015.

Mrs Cooper said the couple decided to leave the island in the afternoon on January 3 because George had a birthday party to go to. Mr Tonkinson had been constantly checking the weather before the plane took off from Bembridge Airfield at 2:55pm.

After hearing nothing from the family for over three hours, Mrs Cooper became concerned.

"I then saw a news item about an air crash at Popham and I knew it was them," Mrs Cooper said.

"Lewis was an intelligent, confident, reliable and relaxed person, and would not take any risks that might harm his family.

"He enjoyed life, and he worked hard and played hard."

The family were headed for Bidford airfield in Warwickshire, near to the family home in Alcester, when the plane crash occurred.

The inquest jury heard that the engine had faced a technical failure in that it suffered from wire chafing.

Jim Morris, legal representative for the Tonkinson family, said: "Had the system been working and had the pilot already had full power it would have prevented the engine from failing."

The jury heard that the aircraft was a kit plane which had been built by its original owner in Italy under the supervision of the Italian manufacturers.

Mr Tonkinson had only five hours experience flying this particular plane as he had only recently bought it, but he had accumulated 200 hours flying experience in total.

The inquest continues.