Eye witnesses who saw the accident on Saturday evening at around 6.30pm said it appeared that the paramotor’s engine suddenly cut out.

Paramotoring is a form of ultralight aviation where the pilot wears a motor on their back. It provides enough thrust to take off using a parachute style paraglider wing.

Tim Durston, 60, was playing with Cheriton Cricket Club when he saw the paramotor get into trouble.

He described how the pilot, who has not been named, took off in a nearby field but only got as far as the cricket pavilion before turning back.

“He flew around the field a couple of times and then I heard a slight change in the sound of his engine. He seemed to be in trouble.

“Part of the end of his paraglider wing seemed to lose the air in it.”

A fellow cricket teammate – who was batting at the time of the drama – added: “As I looked up at him I thought he looked a bit ill at ease and not entirely confident.

“He lost the air in the wing and spiralled down. He would have had a heavy landing.”

One onlooker said the paramotor pilot regularly took to the skies in Cheriton.

“I saw him take off and fly across. He is here quite a lot.

“It seemed like the wind took his parachute and his engine seemed to falter and he literally went down. I then heard an almighty crash.”

The accident happened in the middle of Cheriton’s annual August bank holiday beer, music, cricket and balloon festival organised by local villagers and the Flower Pots Inn.

Organisers said today’s cricket festival would go ahead as planned.

Powered paragliders usually fly between 15-45mph at altitudes of up to 18,000ft although most flying is done under 500ft.