Five killed as small planes crash near Coventry Airport
18.08.08
Two small planes collided in midair and crashed near Coventry Airport yesterday, killing five people, emergency workers said. The crash involved a Cessna 407 carrying four people and a light aircraft, which only had the pilot onboard, police said.
The light aircraft, described as a microlight, crashed into a field after the collision, while the Cessna came down in a nearby wooded area. The debris from the collision stretched across several miles. No one on the ground was reported injured.
All of those killed were believed to be adults, Warwickshire Police Det. Supt. Adrian McGee said. Both planes had taken off from Coventry Airport and both were due to return there. Investigators are not certain if either was en route to the airport at the time of the collision.
A witness told the BBC that he saw a twin-engine plane flying over the Combe Abbey Country Park, about 5 miles east of the city of Coventry. He said that there appeared to be no reason for the crash, which occurred just before noon.
‘For the life of me, I can't understand why they didn't see each other,’ he said, noting that the skies were clear and visibility was good. ‘We noticed it was flying low, and literally, within a split second, we saw a light aircraft come in from the right. The twin-engined aircraft struck the light aircraft and just totally destroyed it.’
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