Two men, a 52-year-old pilot training instructor and a 35-year-old trainee, were killed on Saturday near Sparta, after their single-engine aircraft lost altitude and crashed shortly after take off at 10am.

The small aircraft took off from a private airport at Pyri in Laconia on Saturday morning and crashed in a nearby olive grove, instantly killing the pilot and his trainee passenger.

The airport is primarily used for aerial spraying and by local flying clubs for training purposes. An investigation is under way to determine the cause of the crash. Αs the aircraft’s parachute had deployed, it is believed that human error may be at play.