UAE plane crash victim named as former RAF man Chris Stone

In a statement, Mr Stone’s family said: “Chris was a lovely person, always laughing and smiling. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him.”

They said at the age of 16 Mr Stone joined the Royal Air Force and spent much of his life in or around aeroplanes.

They continued: “After leaving the RAF he continued to work in this field. His travelling led him to settle down in Malaysia where he leaves behind his beloved daughter Iesha, of whom he was immensely proud.

“The family is devastated by what has happened and are struggling to come to terms with the fact that we will never see Chris again.

The four-seater Diamond DA42, registered in the UK, had been involved in upgrading a runway and was used to “calibrate the approach systems”, the airport said.

The plane is registered to Flight Calibrations Service Ltd, based in Shoreham in West Sussex, the AP news agency reported.