TWO men killed in a plane crash near Woodstock have been named.

Friends and business colleagues Richard Leonard, from Oxfordshire, and Anthony Corr, from Warwickshire, died when their aircraft crashed in a field near the A4095 close to Bladon on Friday afternoon.

The plane, which had just left Oxford Airport, burst into flames on impact and was destroyed.

There were no survivors.

Today, the Air Accident Investigation Branch said it was still not possible to speculate about the likely cause of the crash. The wreckage is due to be examined in detail at its base in Farnborough.

Mr Leonard, 44, lived with his wife and two children in the tiny hamlet of Over Worton, near Chipping Norton.

Mr Corr, 54, was also a father-of-two and lived in Newbold-on-Stour, near Stratford-upon-Avon. He was a pilot for Ryanair.

The two men are believed to have been business partners in yellowheli.com, a helicopter chauffeur and rental company registered to Mr Leonard’s home address.

Mr Leonard was a landscape architect and a director of Aspect Group, the umbrella company for his landscaping, ecology and arboricultural firms.

It is based in Hardwick Business Park, Banbury.

Last night, Mr Corr’s family paid tribute to a “superlative pilot”.

In a joint statement, wife Krystyna and daughters Aleksandra, 26, and Antonia, 21, said: “He was a charismatic, determined and courageous personality.

“He was a superlative pilot whose great passion was for aviation and worked for Ryanair in that capacity for many years.

“Anthony was mentioned in dispatches in 1989 for Explosive Ordnance Disposal work in Northern Ireland. He has been taken from us too soon and is greatly loved and missed by all his family.”

Yesterday’s statement from the AAIB stated: “Inspectors have arrived at the scene and are investigating all aspects of this accident involving a Piper PA-31.

“It is not possible to speculate on the cause of the accident at this stage.”

Local police are assisting inspectors in their inquiries. Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service said four fire engines had attended the crash and brought the fire under control.

The men were flying in a Piper PA-31 Navajo, a cabin-class, twin-engine aircraft designed and built by American firm Piper Aircraft.

Weighing 1.7 tonnes when empty and with a wingspan of 12.4 metres (40ft 8in), the planes can reach 261mph when at 15,000ft (4,570 metres).

They can carry up to seven passengers and two crew members, and are powered by three metal blade propellers.

dhearn@oxfordmail.co.uk