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A dad of two died in a bizarre "freak accident" after getting struck by his own toy plane and suffering catastrophic injuries.

Roger Wallace, 60, was flying the 5ft-wide model plane at the Pima County Fairgrounds in Tuscon, Arizona, when the tragedy unfolded. He lost sight of it in the sunlight and the plane, which weighed around 3kgs, caused significant damage to his heart and one of his lungs. Roger lost consciousness and his friends tried to help him before emergency services arrived. However, their efforts were in vain and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Roger had been involved with the Southern Arizona Modelers, a radio-controlled airplane group, for three years. Club President Jerry Knebel told the Arizona Daily Star in 2002: "This was not a common thing. This was just the freakiest of freak accidents that could possibly happen.

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"No one can believe this. We can't believe it ourselves, and we've been doing this the past 30 years." Roger owned an auto parts store but had sold it several years ago, and was working for the new owners and contemplating retirement before the tragic accident. Prior to joining the plane club, Roger had been drag racing at the nearby drag strip - and was looking for a safer hobby.

Knebel added: "He talked so often about how the flying was safer than the drag strip. He came over because he thought our sport was the safer sport." The club always had one member acting as the safety officer when members fly and followed the Academy of Model Aeronautics' safety guidelines.

Knebel said: "We pride ourselves on not having any accidents at all. We haven't had one in many, many years." Part of Roger’s obituary read: “He was a kind, loving, friendly man and so ful of life and laughter. He will be greatly missed by all his friends and family.” In September, an aviation influencer died in front of more than 1,000 fans after his ultralight aircraft plunged from the sky and burst into flames during a livestream.

Tang Feiji was broadcasting live when his twin-rotor craft took a steep turn and nosedived into Jiange County, central China. Viewers were horrified and flooded the stream's chat with messages pleading for someone to "call the emergency services" and "save him".

Despite their desperate pleas, it was too late, and Tang, 55, was pronounced dead at the scene from the impact. Tang was well-known on the internet in Guangyuan City, Sichuan Province for his frequent flying content, with over who had around 100,000 followers on the Chinese social media platform Douyin.