THE family of a pilot who was killed in a light aircraft crash in Devon have paid tribute to her.

Nicola Wright, 44, from Dorset, died on Friday, June 26 after the plane she was flying crashed near Dunkeswell Airfield. Nobody else was on board.

“Nicola was an incredible mother to her four children, a wife, daughter, sister and much-loved friend to many,” said Mrs Wright’s family.

“She was the heart of the family and will be missed beyond words. She was a positive, brave and determined person who lived life with an adventurous spirit.

“She was an accomplished aerobatic pilot, skydiver, diver and mountaineer who climbed Mount Kilimanjaro earlier this year.

“She approached everything she did with passion and courage.

“Nicola was HR Director at Medisave, a global medical and pharmaceutical distributor, and was a vital part of building Medisave alongside the founders, Graham Wright, her husband and Melissa Denton her longtime friend.

“Nicola was an amazing, deeply devoted and loving mother. Her four young children were everything to her, and she has shaped who they are in every way, they are devastated for the loss of their beautiful mother.

“Nicola was, quite simply, an amazing woman.”

Devon and Cornwall Police is working with the Air Accidents Investigation Branch to find out what happened.

The family have asked for privacy as they grieve and for people not to speculate about the incident while the AAIB investigates, police said.