ONE of the young men who died in an aeroplane crash over the weekend was from Burley in Wharfedale, it has been confirmed.

A two-seater light aircraft with two occupants crashed at a rural location in Thorganby, Selby, at around 9.50am yesterday, North Yorkshire Police said.

The force has now confirmed Oliver Dawes, 24, of Burley in Wharfedale, was the passenger in the two-seater light aircraft.

His family today paid tribute to him in a statement, saying: "Yesterday, we lost a dearly loved son, cousin, nephew and friend.

"Oliver will continue to live on in our hearts and memories as the kind, generous, hard-working and fun man he had become.

"We will miss him every day for the rest of our lives. 

"We are heartbroken," the statement added.

The second man who died in the crash has been named as Matthew Bird.

Matthew BirdMatthew Bird (Image: North Yorkshire Police)

Matthew, who was the pilot of the aircraft, was 21 and from Spofforth, North Yorkshire.

In a statement, his family said: "Yesterday we lost our son, a brother, grandson, nephew, cousin and friend. 

"Matthew meant so much to so many.

"We are utterly heartbroken but he will live on in our hearts as we cherish the incredibly special memories he's left us with."

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said yesterday that the force was working with the Air Accident Investigation Branch to launch a full investigation into the circumstances.

The spokesperson said today: "The circumstances surrounding the incident continue to be investigated."

MP for Selby, Keir Mather, expressed his sadness at the tragedy and said his condolences were with the men's loved ones.

"I am incredibly saddened by the news regarding the plane crash in Thorganby yesterday," Mr Mather said.

"My heart goes out to the two men who lost their lives, as well as their loved ones at this awful time.

"Thank you to the emergency services including Yorkshire Ambulance Service, North Yorkshire Police and the Air Accident Investigation Branch who are working to establish the circumstances surrounding this devastating incident."

Yesterday, a spokesperson from Yorkshire Ambulance Service said: "We received an emergency call at 9.50am reporting an incident involving a light aircraft at Thorganby near York.

"A number of our resources have responded to the incident."

Road closures were in place at the scene while emergency services dealt with the incident.