TWO friends died when their powerful motorcycle skidded into the path of a tractor on a country road, an inquest heard yesterday.

John Longstaff, 45, and David Tarn, 30, who had never been on a motorbike before, died instantly in the head-on collision on a road known as Carlbury Crossing, off the A67 near Darlington, last year.

Durham Coroner Andrew Tweddle heard how the 1,000cc Suzuki bike, which was ridden by Mr Longstaff with Mr Tarn riding pillion, swerved on to the wrong side of the road after a tight bend.

The machine was at least 2ft over the white line when it came into view of the tractor.

Fighting back tears, tractor driver Douglas Etherington said: "I remember three thoughts that went through my mind -that there was someone on a motorbike; it was on the wrong side of the road; and then, a couple of seconds later, that they were going to hit me.

"At a guess, the whole thing lasted about five seconds."

It is believed Mr Etherington knew Mr Longstaff.

Mr Longstaff, from Piercebridge, and Mr Tarn, from Aycliffe Village, both worked at Durham Precision Engineering, in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham.

The inquest, in Chester-le-Street, was told how the driving conditions when the accident took place, at about 11.30am on September 22, were good.

It was estimated the bike was travelling at about 45mph along the 60mph-limit road.

Accident investigators suggested that the lack of co-ordination between the men's movement as the bike swerved could have made it unstable.

PC Andrew Edgar, from Durham Police, said: "If someone leans over and the other person was not expecting it, it can cause it (the bike) to become unstable. Both have to move at the same time."

Recording a verdict of accidental death, Mr Tweddle said that was only a hypothesis.