Pilot dies in replica biplane crash

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WATKINS, Colo., Nov. 22 (UPI) -- A retired British Royal Air Force wing commander died in the crash of a replica World War I-era biplane in Colorado, an airport official said.

Brian North of Parker, Colo. -- a member of the Order of the British Empire -- was killed Wednesday in the crash near the Front Range Airport near Watkins, Colo. Airport Executive Director Dennis Heap said North was in his 70s.

The plane was a two-thirds replica of the RAF SE5a, a World War I-era aircraft known as the "Gipsy Moth," The Denver Post reported Thursday.

The plane crashed and bursting into flames about a mile from the airport as it approached a runway, the newspaper said.

North had parts of the replica plane shipped from England and assembled it himself, Heap said.