A student pilot on his second solo flight crashed his plane at Southend Airport after coming in to land too quickly, a report has concluded.

The 24-year-old man nose-dived the Cessna Aerobat after approached the runway too quickly and bouncing the aircraft on landing at 12.53pm on April 6 this year.

The aircraft's nose wheel hit the ground hard, ripping it from its mountings and causing the plane to bounce along the runway before it came to rest on grass.

An official report by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch said: "The nose-landing gear leg had broken off its mountings and the engine, propeller and one wing were damaged.

"The student, who had flown solo only once before, considered that he had caused the accident by releasing back pressure on the control wheel."

The pilot had been training with an instructor on the day of the accident before he was allowed to strike out on his own to fly three circuits around the airport - landing after each one.

It was on his second circuit he lost control of the aircraft.

The pilot, who had 20 hours flying experience under his belt, walked away from the crash unhurt and went up in the air with an instructor soon after the accident.