A MAN died and two members of his family were left fighting for their lives after a light aircraft crashed on landing.

The passenger, who police sources said was from Blackburn, was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident at Caernarfon Airport in North Wales shortly before 11.30am today.

The Lancashire Telegraph understands the man had been travelling with his young son, thought to be around 10-years-old, and the child’s 61-year-old grandfather who was flying the plane.

The pilot and the boy, who are both from Burnley, were in a ‘critical’ condition last night, police said.

The pilot suffered serious multiple lower limb injuries according to the Welsh Ambulance Service.

He was being treated at Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor along with his grandson who received head and abdominal injuries.

The trio were flying in a four-seater Piper Cherokee which had taken off from Fly Blackpool at Blackpool airport earlier in the day.

The family are said to have been ‘frequent’ flyers who often chartered planes from the private Blackpool airfield when planes can be hired for £145 an hour.

According to witnesses the aircraft may have clipped trees as it came to land at one of the Welsh airport's two runways.

The plane was said to have landed on grass and was then flipped on to its roof on impact.

Family liaison officers from Lancashire Police were drafted in by their colleagues in North Wales to break the news to family members in Burnley and Blackburn.

Chief Inspector Darren Wareing from North Wales Police said: "An investigation is ongoing and we are appealing to anyone who witnessed the plane as it approached the runway of Caernarfon Airport to contact police."

A spokesman at the airport declined to comment.

The incident was referred to the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) who sent investigators to the scene.

Anyone with any information relating to the incident is asked to contact North Wales Police on 101.