Meerut, May 12 (IANS): A 40-year-old man was killed Saturday at the Partapur air strip here after being hit by a micro-lite plane he owned as he clicked its pictures.

Police said the four-seater plane - VT-UAG - belonged to local businessman Mukesh Garg, the victim.

Official sources say the B.R. Ambedkar air strip was not used for commercial purposes and was off and on used for joy rides by businessmen and real estate owners whose small planes were parked in the hanger.

The deceased came to the airport for a joy ride with two friends Saturday. But he chose not to fly but asked his friends to take the small flight as he shot their pictures from the ground.

The two friends, after a 15-minute sortie, were set to land when Garg apparently got dangerously close to the air strip and was hit by one of the rotor blades.

Garg suffered serious gashes on his head and slumped on the strip. By the time the plane halted and people rushed to the spot, he had died.

The pilot and co-pilot also received minor injuries.

The district administration has ordered a probe, which would also cover the apparent lapse by civil aviation authorities because of which Garg was allowed to go on to the runway.