One person has died and two people have been taken to hospital after a plane flipped over on the runway at Caernarfon Airport yesterday.

Ambulance workers said the two people taken to Ysbyty Gwynedd, in Bangor, were a man in his 60s who has suffered serious leg injuries, and a boy who had sustained head and stomach injuries.

A third person aboard the plane, who was trapped in the wreckage of the crash at Dinas Dinlle, died.

It’s understood those involved represent three generations of the same family - from grandfather to grandson - from the Blackburn area.

The boy, five, has sustained serious head injuries and his 62-year-old grandfather is critical at a specialist unit.

Police say they are currently not in a position to identify the man who died as a result of the crash, but he is believed to be the father of the young boy.

It’s thought all three were members of the Fly Blackpool aviation club, who were flying in a  Piper Cherokee 140 GATRR from Blackpool to Caernarfon and Welshpool before returning to Blackpool.

The crash happened at 11.26am yesterday morning, when the aircraft flipped over on the runway.

North Wales Fire and Rescue service said 32 crew members and eight appliances went to the scene, while officers from North Wales Police were also in attendance.

The incident, which forced the airport to close, has been referred to the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB).

The RAF will recover the wreckage, which will be taken to Farnborough, where a detailed investigation will be conducted.

Chief inspector Darren Wareing of North Wales Police said: “An investigation is on-going and we are appealing to anyone who witnessed the plane as it approached the runway of Caernarfon Airport to contact police.”

Owner of Fly Blackpool aviation club, Robert Murgatroyd, said: “We believe it’s pilot error as the aircraft is mechanically sound.”

Mr Murgatroyd, 47, who owned the aircraft involved, added: “I’ve had aircraft of that type for 25 years and that one for eight years.”

Mr Murgatroyd said the Piper Chrokee Light Trainer aircraft was 44 years old and had completed 1,700,000 miles - or the equivalent of almost 69 round-the-world trips.

Mr Murgatroyd said the family involved have been club members for 15 years.

He added: “As members of a small club they are all personal friends.

“The pilot was relatively experienced with a licence for 10 years.”

Photographer Richard Birch arrived at the scene around midday.

He said: “The air ambulance was already there. There were fire engines and ambulances all over the runway.

He added: “The plane was upside down. It had gone through the runway and crashed into some gorse bushes."

Councillor Ioan Thomas, who represents the Menai (Caernarfon) ward for Gwynedd Council, said: “It has taken my breath away. I am completely shocked. I am not aware that any other accidents have taken place there - certainly not in the last few years.

He added: “It is a popular airport. Most of the flights there are recreational. During the summer, there are a lot of pleasure flights to Snowdonia and along the peninsular. It is a beautiful setting, because the runway looks straight on to the sea."

He explained some local residents had raised concerns about two wind turbines, which had recently been built to the south west of the site.

He said: “Some people have raised concerns that those turbines are in too close a proximity to the airfield."

Staff at Caernarfon Airport were unavailable for comment.