Plane crashes after leaving Coventry Airport
25.01.08
Two British men - one from Daventry and the other from Sutton Coldfield - were killed after a plane which took off from Coventry Airport crashed in the English Channel on Wednesday. The aircraft, which was en route to Guernsey, went down in waters eight miles off the coast of France. One man on board the plane survived the crash, but is in hospital.
French authorities were alerted after air traffic control in Jersey lost contact with the plane 13km north of Cherbourg at around 10:30 on Wednesday morning, and a helicopter, naval patrol boat and coastguard patrol boat were sent to the area, arriving at the scene at 11:45. Two men were found unconscious in the sea, and were later pronounced dead, while a third, Mark Wilkinson, of Rugby, is recovering in hospital in France suffering with hypothermia.
A spokesperson for Coventry Airport said: 'The plane took off on Wednesday at 09:10, on its way to Guernsey. It was a privately-owned, twin-engined Beach Baron six-seater. Three people were on board.'
Steve Read, of Jersey Airport, said the plane developed problems and the pilot desperately tried to divert to the neighbouring island of Alderney but then chose to fly to Cherbourg, but the plane plunged into the sea.
French maritime police are trying to discover why the plane plunged into the English Channel. They collected some debris from the water and their investigations are continuing.
Lieutenant Philippe de Vaisseau-Bizien, French maritime rescue spokesman, said: 'Weather conditions were calm, with moderate wind and good visibility. Initial indications are that the plane must have suffered engine failure but an inquiry is underway to establish the exact causes of the crash.'
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