The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Former rally champ dies in air crash
A former rally champion has died following a light aircraft crash in Spain.
Donald Milne, 65, was in a biplane that is believed to have collided with a firefighting helicopter near Alicante on December 30.
He was found seriously injured and rushed to hospital but later died. No one else was injured. Mr Milne was a former North Sea businessman with a keen interest in rallying and won the Scottish title in 1991.
The Scottish Rally Championship posted a picture of Mr Milne on its website celebrating his title win along with the message: “We are extremely saddened to hear of the sudden passing of 1991 Scottish rally champion Donald Milne.”
Mr Milne is also said to have helped launch the career of Colin McRae, who became the youngest winner of the World Rally Championship.
He died in a helicopter crash with three other people near his home in Lanark in 2007.
Motorsport journalist John Fife paid tribute to Mr Milne, writing: “Even when he had ‘retired’ from rallying he still retained an interest and there were times here at home when the phone would ring late at night or in the early hours, and it was Donald looking for the latest gossip and who was doing what.
“Invariably he was sitting kicking his heels in some exotic airport waiting for connecting business flights.”
He concluded: “He’ll be sorely missed.”