Los Angeles: A pilot who died when he crashed his small aircraft was distracted because he was taking cell phone selfies in the cockpit, likely contributing to the fatal accident, US investigators have said.

The 29-year-old and a passenger were killed instantly when his Cessna 150K smashed into a field on May 31 last year. A National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) probe, using GoPro video taken in the cockpit, yesterday indicated that the pilot repeatedly took selfie photos with his phone leading up to the accident.