A pilots illness may have caused a fatal microlight aircraft crash, according to a report.

Brighton restaurant and bar owner Tony Baker, 52, and his partner Elaine Parry were killed in the crash.

The plane came down near Lymington in the New Forest during a flight from Shoreham, where it was based.

It had been en route to Dunkeswell airfield, near Honiton, in Devon.

Mr Baker was the pilot of the MCR-01 aircraft which crashed on October 2.

An official Air Accident Investigation Branch report into the crash said that a post mortem on Mr Baker revealed he was suffering from a liver condition.

This, combined with chemical imbalances in the body, could be "associated with collapse and sudden death".

The report added that investigations carried out on the wreckage did not reveal any mechanical defects.

The report also said Mr Baker, who had 1,059 hours flying experience, should have been able to make an emergency landing in the event of engine failure.

It said he would have been trained to land on unusual sites and was an experienced pilot who had flown frequently in Europe.

It added: "Post mortem results raised the possibility that the pilot may have been medically incapacitated prior to the accident itself."

Mr Baker ran TB restaurants, based in Brighton.

He was the first person to open a Tex Mex restaurant in the city - Dig In The Ribs in Preston Street.

He also owned The Dorset Caf on the corner of Gardner Street and North Road.

Elaine Parry worked in the recording business and lived in Clifton Terrace, Brighton.