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PA-28 Lost in English Channel

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FD2
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PA-28 Lost in English Channel

#1 Post by FD2 » Sat Apr 02, 2022 9:34 pm

Plane with two people onboard crashes in the English Channel after taking off from the UK - sparking emergency air-and-sea rescue operation

Piper PA-28 was in a group of aircraft heading to resort in France on Saturday
Emergency services say 'It crashed into British waters for unknown reason'
By 8.30pm in France, there was no sign of the occupants of the plane


Sadly no sign of aircraft or bodies.

I couldn't find this on any other websites.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... annel.html

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Re: PA-28 Lost in English Channel

#2 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Sat Apr 02, 2022 9:52 pm

Sunny but very cold down that way today. These poor folk wouldn't have lasted long in the water if they had made it out!
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Re: PA-28 Lost in English Channel

#3 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Sun Apr 03, 2022 4:55 am

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/newsbirm ... uxbndlbing
The search is set to resume tomorrow (Sunday (April 3). The French Coastguard said the plane was the subject of a "worrying disappearance".

A spokesman for the French emergency services said: "'It crashed into British waters for an unknown reason. British Coastguard launched an operation supported by French aircraft and boats including the Abeille-Languedoc (Languedoc Bee) tug, which has been chartered by the French Navy."

Small planes such as the Piper PA-28 are typically equipped with lifejackets and life rafts in case of emergency.
Well, er no, not unless the pilot et al have had the good sense to don life jackets, or push a heavy bulky uninflated dinghy onto the back seat, in the probably unlikely event that they can retrieve it through the one front side door on the PA28, before it goes down DJ lockerwards! Good sense says don a survival suit, wear a life jacket and use a portable ELT that you know how to use. How many people flying to Le Tocquet do all of that?
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Re: PA-28 Lost in English Channel

#4 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Sun Apr 03, 2022 4:22 pm

A little more detail on this aircraft.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... utive.html
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Re: PA-28 Lost in English Channel

#5 Post by PHXPhlyer » Sun Apr 03, 2022 5:06 pm

According to The Mirror it was a "jet conversion". :-o :-? :))

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/b ... dium=email

Plane crashes into English Channel as rescue mission seeks two missing Brits
Rescuers have had to temporarily abandon their mission to find the missing Brits, who went off radar at around 9am this morning as the plane crossed the English Channel

A full-scale emergency rescue operation has been launched in the English Channel after plane travelling from the UK to France with two people on board crashed.

The Piper PA-28 had departed from Wellesbourne Mountford Airfield, near Stratford-upon-Avon, shortly before 8am on Saturday morning (April 2) but went off radar just over an hour later.

The plane been in a group of aircraft which was heading to the French resort of Le Touquet in northern France.

Public flight records showed that the privately owned jet had left Wellesbourne at 7.56am and appeared to go off radar over the Channel at 09.02am.

He spoke as the wide-ranging search was suspended overnight Saturday, as rescuers said it would resume at first light on Sunday.

The two aboard the plane were British nationals, according to another investigating source in France.


By 8.30pm local time in France, there was still no sign of the plane's occupants (stock image) ( Image: AFP via Getty Images)
As well as the Abeille Languedoc, the major search involved a French Navy Falcon 50 jet and a Dauphin helicopter.

Ships in the Channel were also alerted to the disappearance, but by nightfall there was no sign of the plane, or any debris.

"The search continued all afternoon, without being able to locate any debris or aircraft wreckage," said the Prefecture spokesman.

He added: "At the beginning of Saturday evening, without additional elements and the probable sector of disappearance having been fully investigated, the searches were suspended.

"They will resume tomorrow morning with a flight by the Dauphin helicopter."

At 8.30pm local time in France, there was still no sign of the occupants after an air and sea rescue team was dispatched following the mystery crash.

"It crashed into British waters for an unknown reason," said a spokesman for the French emergency services.

"British Coastguard launched an operation supported by French aircraft and boats including the Abeille-Languedoc (Languedoc Bee) tug, which has been chartered by the French Navy."

The passenger and pilot of the plane have not been identified publicly.

A Piper PA-28 is usually equipped with lifejackets and a life raft and usually has two to four seats.

Rescue teams anticipate that the plane may have already sunk, but are still hoping to find the occupants alive.

This particular model of plane was built by the U.S. firm, Piper, as a trainer, air taxi, or for personal transport.

It has been in production since 1960 and various models have been involved in a number of high-profile accidents in that time.

In August 1972, Prince William of Gloucester, the Queen’s cousin, was killed along with his co-pilot in a Piper Cherokee Arrow after crashing on take-off from Halfpenny Green, near Wolverhampton, during an air race.

PP

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Re: PA-28 Lost in English Channel

#6 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Sun Apr 03, 2022 5:09 pm

The drivel that gets written in some British newspapers is an embarrassment to us all!
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Re: PA-28 Lost in English Channel

#7 Post by PHXPhlyer » Sun Apr 03, 2022 5:14 pm

TheGreenGoblin wrote:
Sun Apr 03, 2022 5:09 pm
The drivel that gets written in some British newspapers is an embarrassment to us all!
The British media don't have a monopoly on this!

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Re: PA-28 Lost in English Channel

#8 Post by tango15 » Mon Apr 04, 2022 9:39 am

The media no longer employ people who are specialists in particular areas, apart from sport. On here we know about aviation and we see the mistakes. When I read articles about something of which I know little or nothing, I find myself wondering about how accurate it is, and whether it was written by some 20-year old with the help of Google.

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Re: PA-28 Lost in English Channel

#9 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Sun Apr 10, 2022 6:04 pm

Official documents belonging to two British nationals involved in a light plane crash in the English Channel have washed up on a beach in France.

Boulogne public prosecutor Guirec Le Bras on Thursday confirmed that the papers belonged to those on board the Piper PA-28, which went down last Saturday.

The pilot and passenger – who have not been identified – were on a trip to the French seaside resort of Le Touquet organised by the South Warwickshire Flying School, before coming down in an April snowstorm.

“The official documents that have been found make it possible to make a link with the people on the plane which disappeared in British waters,” said Mr Le Bras.

He said that the documents were found on the beach at Equihen-Plage, just north of Le Touquet, by a local walker on Wednesday.

They will be handed over to air accident investigators, and to the British authorities, Mr Le Bras added.

Asked if any debris from the plane had been found, Mr Le Bras said no.

It was last Saturday morning that the plane left Wellesbourne – the home airfield of the South Warwickshire Flying School – along with five other planes.

Within two hours, they hit a snowstorm over the English Channel, and the Piper disappeared into the freezing sea below.

The search for those on board went on for two days before being called off by the French authorities after no wreckage was found.

“All of the planes from England were confronted with a very large cloud of snow in freezing cold weather,” said an investigating source in France.

“It caused some of the planes to turn around, while others zig zagged in the hope of getting round it.

“The Piper went straight in, and this may well have caused the crash. If the survivors had managed to get out of the sunken plane, survival time in the water below would have been very short.”

The stricken plane - registration number G-EGVA – was owned by part time Flying Instructor Guy Wakeley, 51, who is also a well-known financial services boss.

Mr Wakeley, non-executive director at City of London equity investment company HgCapital Trust plc,was not on the trip to Le Touquet.

Rodney Galiffe, the Managing Director of the South Warwickshire Flying School, confirmed that accident investigators were in Wellesbourne, as they continued with their enquiry.

British Coastguard originally launched an operation supported by French aircraft and boats when the same plane went down in the Channel.

Flight records show that that the Piper PA-28R-200 Cherokee Arrow II – which was built in 1976 – had left Wellesbourne at 7.56am on Saturday and went off radar over the Channel within two hours.

The Piper has been in production since 1960 and various models have been involved in a number of high-profile accidents in that time.

In August 1972, Prince William of Gloucester, the Queen’s cousin, was killed along with his co-pilot in a Piper Cherokee Arrow after crashing on take-off from Halfpenny Green, near Wolverhampton, during an air race.
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/docu ... 93227.html
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Re: PA-28 Lost in English Channel

#10 Post by Ex-Ascot » Mon Apr 11, 2022 5:09 am

I missed the fact that there was a snow storm. Wonder if he was instrument rated. Odd that documents should be washed up. You would expect them to be in a pocket or briefcase.
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Re: PA-28 Lost in English Channel

#11 Post by Alisoncc » Mon Apr 11, 2022 5:20 am

Sad about poor little Cherio-kee. Was my favourite airey when I first took to the skies. People can come and go, but aireys are forever. :-bd
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Re: PA-28 Lost in English Channel

#12 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Mon Apr 11, 2022 8:40 am

Ex-Ascot wrote:
Mon Apr 11, 2022 5:09 am
I missed the fact that there was a snow storm. Wonder if he was instrument rated. Odd that documents should be washed up. You would expect them to be in a pocket or briefcase.

The radar return shows the aircraft climbing rapidly probably attempting to get above the cloud. One assumes that a loss of control due to inadvertent flight into IFR conditions and/or icing conditions might have been the culprit here.

I flew along the coast that day and the weather conditions in the South East were VFR with bright sunshine but the just off the coast there were bands of snow clouds. The weather was very cold.
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Re: PA-28 Lost in English Channel

#13 Post by Ex-Ascot » Mon Apr 11, 2022 1:20 pm

One thinks that a turn back would have been more sensible. Why did they want to go to frog land anyway? It is full of frogs.
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Re: PA-28 Lost in English Channel

#14 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Mon Apr 11, 2022 1:44 pm

Ex-Ascot wrote:
Mon Apr 11, 2022 1:20 pm
One thinks that a turn back would have been more sensible. Why did they want to go to frog land anyway? It is full of frogs.
I think it may have been the fact that it is such small "hop" across the pond (ahem) from Dover to France, that emboldened them to risk the weather. It is amazing how quickly ice can build up on those wings on a PA28!
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Re: PA-28 Lost in English Channel

#15 Post by Ex-Ascot » Mon Apr 11, 2022 2:21 pm

I risked it once, return in the same type. Never again. The engine started coughing as soon as it saw water. 4 pilots on board all instrument rated but we were VFR both ways.
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Re: PA-28 Lost in English Channel

#16 Post by Ex-Ascot » Wed Apr 13, 2022 6:08 am

Pilots named. Also it seems as if it was a flight bag washed up presumably with the documents in it.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... annel.html
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Re: PA-28 Lost in English Channel

#17 Post by Rwy in Sight » Thu Apr 14, 2022 4:36 am

Ex-Ascot wrote:
Mon Apr 11, 2022 2:21 pm
I risked it once, return in the same type. Never again. The engine started coughing as soon as it saw water. 4 pilots on board all instrument rated but we were VFR both ways.
Were you driving? Once I flew across the Southern Aegean Sea on a C-172. I thought about such a long segment over water but then again I wondered how the engine would know it was functioning over water rather than land.

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Re: PA-28 Lost in English Channel

#18 Post by Boac » Thu Apr 14, 2022 7:38 am

The 100 series Avon in the Hunter certainly had the mod. Coast out and it starts 'rumbling'.

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Re: PA-28 Lost in English Channel

#19 Post by Ex-Ascot » Thu Apr 14, 2022 8:34 am

Rwy in Sight wrote:
Thu Apr 14, 2022 4:36 am
Ex-Ascot wrote:
Mon Apr 11, 2022 2:21 pm
I risked it once, return in the same type. Never again. The engine started coughing as soon as it saw water. 4 pilots on board all instrument rated but we were VFR both ways.
Were you driving? Once I flew across the Southern Aegean Sea on a C-172. I thought about such a long segment over water but then again I wondered how the engine would know it was functioning over water rather than land.
Not on that sector we took turns.
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Re: PA-28 Lost in English Channel

#20 Post by TheGreenAnger » Tue Feb 14, 2023 4:09 pm

It seems that the flyout from Wellesbourne to Le Tocquet (and back) that day was blighted by another accident which at least didn't result in any fatalities.
During an IFR flight from Le Touquet to Wellesbourne, the pilot observed oil leaking from the left engine followed by engine vibration. He shut the engine down and descended but elected to continue the flight toward Wellesbourne. On reaching 2,000 ft he found he was unable to maintain level flight on one engine and decided to land in a field.

The investigation found the left engine failed due to a fatigue crack in one of the cylinder barrels. It is likely that the pilot was unable to maintain level flight on the right engine due to a combination of engine wear resulting in reduced power available and the prevailing weather conditions. His decision to continue the flight following the engine shutdown was likely to have been influenced by high workload and plan continuation bias.

The maintenance organisation has taken safety action to enhance its maintenance programme for aircraft fitted with piston engines operating beyond the manufacturer’s recommended overhaul life.
Download report: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.u ... _02-23.pdf

Here is the report ref. the loss of the PA28 from the same flyout.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.u ... _12-22.pdf

Some interesting comments here... (particularly ref. the impact that the day's previous loss may have had upon the twin pilot's decision making process and the fact that the report makes no mention of that at all). All in all, a bad day for all concerned.

https://forums.flyer.co.uk/viewtopic.ph ... 9&start=15

Notice the grandiosity and aggression of some of the commentators. Reminds me of another place altogether and not the collegiate atmosphere to be found here! :))
My necessaries are embark'd: farewell. Adieu! I have too grieved a heart to take a tedious leave.

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