The distraught pilot of a light aircraft has been questioned by police after her male passenger plummeted 5,000ft to the ground over Oxfordshire.

The body of the man, in his mid-40s, fell on to a football pitch in the village of Fifield, near Burford, just a few hundred yards from houses on Tuesday afternoon.

The man's body was recovered by police after it was spotted by the Thames Valley Police helicopter which joined the search.

The Cessna 172 twin-seater aircraft landed safely at nearby RAF Brize Norton where it is being examined by Civil Aviation Authority experts.

The aircraft began its journey in Spain, stopped at La Rochelle in France and was heading to a private airfield at Hinton-in-the-Hedges in Northamptonshire.

However, the pilot reported icing on the aircraft's wings and she asked permission to land immediately at RAF Brize Norton.

Permission was granted but the pilot reported that about ten miles from the airfield the passenger opened the door and jumped out.

Det Insp Simon Moreton, of Witney Police, said: "We have spoken to the pilot and she is distraught. To have your passenger going out of the door at 5,000ft is just devastating.

"It is still very early days in the investigation but within a couple of days we hope to have a very good idea of the circumstances. Air accident investigators have been examining the plane."

An inquest into the death of the man, who has yet to be named, was being opened and adjourned today.