http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main...0/ixworld.html
Tycoon dies with family in Tanzania safari plane crash
By Caroline Davies
(Filed: 20/10/2005)
A british multi-millionaire, his family and a "highly talented" pilot who flew with the polar explorer David Hempleman-Adams on his epic Cape-to-Cape challenge were all killed when their Cessna crashed in Tanzania, it emerged yesterday.
Alan Williams, 59, his wife Sue, sister-in-law Jill Williams and family friend Debbie Winn died when the five-seat plane crashed on Sunday close to the western Mahale National Park.
Alan Williams: Died in the crash in Tanzania
Mr Williams, from Blawith, Cumbria, the founder of one of Britain's largest scented candle manufacturers, was flying with his companions to Katavi National Park, a largely inaccessible reserve.
The pilot, Lorne White, 28, from Montreal, had taught Mr Hempleman-Adams to fly fixed-wing aircraft and was his co-pilot during their record-breaking 12-day flight from Cape Columbia in north Canada to Cape Horn last year. He was described by Mr Hempleman-Adams as "a brilliant, talented pilot - a natural stick and rudder pilot who was born to it".
The holidaymakers had been staying at the exclusive Greystoke camp, a luxurious tented complex on the eastern shores of Lake Tanganyika.
Yesterday police officers, park rangers and villagers were still searching for the plane wreckage. Although the charred remains of two of the victims have been recovered, the crash site had not yet been found, said Boniface Mgogolwa, the commander of Kigoma Regional Police.
"No one knows how the plane crashed. The main problems facing the operation is the lack of communications. It is a national park, full of dense forests and hills".
Mr and Mrs Williams founded Colony Candles Company, which is based in Lindal-in-Furness, in their garage 25 years ago. Today is it part of Blyth Homescents International and has a turnover of £20 million.
Sue Williams died just before her 60th birthday
Mr Williams's wife, who would have celebrated her 60th birthday yesterday, and her sister also held senior positions in the company until 2001 when it was sold to Blythe, a US corporation.
Louise McMahon, Colony Candles's general manager, said: "I have worked with the Williams family for 20 years and Colony would not have existed without their entrepreneurial spirit.
"They were an inspiration to work with and I owe my career success to them. I am shocked and stunned that their lives have been taken in this terrible tragedy." A statement from the company staff said: "We are still in deep shock and can't believe or comprehend what has happened. We have fond memories of working with Alan, Sue and Jill and are grateful to them for giving us the opportunity to be part of a successful team."
Mr Hempleman-Adams said Mr White had been "like a brother" to him.
They met when Mr Hempleman-Adams attended a Florida flying school and Mr White was his instructor.
The pair spent three-months together in Canada working on Mr Hempleman-Adams's record-breaking transatlantic balloon flight in 2003. "Sharing breakfast, lunch, dinner, we got to know each other exceptionally well," he said.
Later Mr White became his co-pilot on the Cape-to-Cape challenge. "It's a tragic shock," said the explorer. "He was so young. He had achieved a lot. He was extremely bright, he could have gone into anything.
"He did a postgraduate in business studies and was chosen by the Prime Minister's Office in Canada for an internship.
"But he found his calling. He didn't want to go into business. He just loved flying.
"He was a Gold Star instructor and a fully trained commercial pilot. But he just didn't want to go into flying big jumbo jets. He wanted to see the world, he had a passion for adventure and travel and he was very pleased to be a pilot getting paid for something he absolutely adored.
"Tragedy is a term people often use loosely, but in this case it is truly a tragedy."