A HUNT supporter had his head cut in half when he tried to stop a gyrocopter flown by an anti-hunting pilot from taking off, a court heard yesterday.

A two-week trial heard that Mr Morse's head was cleaved "from top to bottom" by the rear rotor of the gyrocopter as he tried to stop it from taking off.

Paul Nichol, from Balloch, Inverness, died when his gyroplane came down in a field near Avoch on the Black Isle on 12 November. The 67-year-old's aircraft caught fire after crashing.

Instead, the engine powers a back propeller that pushes the gyrocopter forward. As the aircraft moves, air passes naturally through its rotor blades, creating lift. Think of it like a pinwheel.

The AAIB said the rotor head separated because of a "structural overload failure". It has recommended the Civil Aviation Authority publishes new guidance on flying gyrocopters and reassesses ...

A light aircraft was seen "descending rapidly" with its rotor head and blades separate from the rest of the machine moments before a fatal crash last year. Paul Nichol, from Balloch, Inverness ...

The AAIB said the rotor head separated because of a "structural overload failure". It has recommended the Civil Aviation Authority publishes new guidance on flying gyrocopters and reassesses ...