incident at EMA (midair over Leicestershire)
 

beeb reporting crash involving 2 light aircraft at east midlands. Hope everyone safe.

Sky News correspondent James Matthews said: "Two aircraft were involved in a mid-air collision.

"One has come to grief and crashed, that one is being dealt with by emergency services fairly close to the point of collision."

Emergency services hold fears for those on board the plane that crashed, he said.




http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,70131-1297212,00.html

EMA runway blocked by one of the aircraft.

Airport due to re open at 1500z

Thoughts with all concerned.

Slow Progress

the artical says one aircraft "landed" near a reservoir, but bbc news say it "came down", with two fatalities. The artical and the news agree the other aircraft landed safely at EMA which is now closed.

Sympathies to friends and families of those who lost their lives.

There is a small grass Airstrip to the East of that reservoir. Anyone know the origin or type of Aircraft involved yet? Sympathies to those friends and relatives who may have died.

However, full marks to the Pilot who managed to land no matter who's fault it was. This is what we all train for with the belief and hope that we never have to do it for real.

Think it was a Pacific 750x

Got this update from Sky News at 14:35

http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/...297212,00.html

Seems to have been two light aircraft.

Now saying EMA closed as that is where the second aircradft made an emergency landing.
Sky news showing live pictures of the second aircraft sitting in a field

EMA just reopened.

BBC Reported that the 2nd aircraft which came down in a field was 25 miles away from EMA.

Reported elsewhere as a Luscombe 8.

type of plane
 

Hi, hope no-one minds me appearing here briefly, but I am very worried at the moment. From what people have seen of the crashed plane, is there any chance it could be a Kingair 200? My husband is flying somewhere in the midlands right now in a Kingair and I am terribly worried.
Thanks for any help.

I wouldn't like to say anything definite, but from the pictures and the report I'd have thought the aircraft that crashed was much smaller than a Kingair 200. Hope that alleviates some of the worry.

Hello 'Pilot's Wife'.

The BBC/Sky pictures aren't very clear but from the look of them I don't think that the 'plane concerned in a Kingair 200.

Regards,

C23

Why have both these threads been moved out of Rumours & News??
It makes no sense, I would like an explaination!!
Light aircraft as used by the media can mean anything up to small business aircraft (not decrying the seriousness of the loss of two single seaters for example!)

Rumours & News Reporting Points that may affect our jobs or lives as professional pilots

At the very least the closure of one of our International airports surely is of interest and concern to Professional Pilots!
I await a reply.

Neither was a King Air, so don't worry.

Pilot's Wife, you may be interested in this piece of information from the Flyer website which would indicate that it isn't a Kingair 200 involved. I'm sure your husband will ring you as soon as he can. In the meantime, may I suggest you find a trusted member of your family or a good friend to come and wait with you, it's dreadful waiting for news if you are on your own. Hope all does work out well for you.

Anyone know if all at Tatenhill are safe as they use the Blithfield area for training?

Happened over STAFFORDSHIRE

thank you
 

Thank you all very much for the help, which was a considerable comfort. He has just called and is fine. I am very relieved but very sorry for those who will be facing bad news tonight.
Thanks again. You are all very nice indeed.

Pilot's Wife, I, and I'm sure everyone else here, will be very happy for you as well as sad for the families and friends of those who died. That's the lovely side of this site - everyone will pitch in to help whenever there is a real need and it's good that you felt free to ask.
Llanfairpg - I don't know about Tatenhill and I fully understand your concern. I was worried at first that it might someone from EGBO as Blithfield is on one of the QXC routes and was even more worried when I couldn't get through to the FTO. Whoever, and wherever they were from it is very sad indeed. Hope all your friends are safe.

Thanks DX and your reassuring posts to pilots wife are noted.

That photo on the BBC site reminds me of the wreckage i saw of a C150 once thats what made me think of Tatenhill, but HG as you say must operate that way too.

The gap between BHX and EMA has always been quite a busy a corridor for north south transitions with Blithfield reservoir being one of the best landmarks.

SKY's update suggests that rather than a "mid air collision" there is a report that "one aircraft flew into the other".

:confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:
Well if that's NOT a mid air collision can you please enlighten me as to what it is?
Llanfairpg, I did a similar thing to you - looked at the tail and thought Cessna. :( did a lot of my cross country training round there in a 152. Whoever and whatever it was, it is still dreadfully sad.

Having just watched Sky News the aircraft that crashed in a field appears to be a blue Luscombe and according to the AAIB official who was being interviewed by reporters had 'taken off from an airfield near to the crash site'.

Funny how the meadia can never find anyone who knows anything about flying when these things happen and come out with the most ludicrous statements.

There is a locally based blue Luscombe at Yeatsall Farm, Abbots Bromley

Second aircraft appears to be a Fletcher turbo prop or a PAC 750XL, used for para dropping ? Very sad to hear 2 lost.

Will.

Sincere sympathies extended to the families, colleagues and friends of the victims of this very unfortunate tragedy.

RIP.

Mid-Air Light Aircraft Crash in Staffordshire
 

Mid air
 

As always my thoughts are with the families of those in the aircraft at blithfield.

I fly regular in that area from T'hill and know the traffic north - south is heavy.

I am interested in the 2nd aircraft to see if it is indeed a PAC750 as I drop chutes and know pilots who fly the Cark aircraft, can anyone confirm?

Again I feel for the families and friends during such a traumatic ordeal
Carbon

Hello.

I very much hope that one of the aircraft involved is not a XL750. If so, it is almost certainly ZK-KAY which is used for parachute drops at Cark Airfield in Cumbria. I certainly hope it is not ZK-KAY as I used visit the airfield regularly when we had a caravan at the Haven site next to it. (Photos I took of the aircraft HERE).

I just sincerely hope the North West Parachute Club pilots are ok :(

Condolences to all involved, a tragic accident.

Sam-MAN
Sorry to advise but reports on an East Midlands group indicate the aircraft involved in the emergency landing at EMA was ZK-KAY. However, although the aircraft was forced to land with apparently some damage to its undercarriage, other reports seem to indicate that those on board exited the aircraft unharmed, if not a little shaken.
Foxile

Thanks for the update Foxile.

I am relieved that the pilot/pilots of ZK-KAY managed to get out of the tragedy un-harmed.

But still, RIP to the other 2 souls who lost their lives :(

The Sky link (http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/...297212,00.html) has a video link which includes an interview with the AAIB man (Atkinson) on the scene.

RE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7146895.stm

I think this paragraph wins the 'most USELESS addition to a news article ever' award:

Chip shop manager Mr Chamberlain, from Stapleford, Nottinghamshire, said he did not see the collision itself, which happened 14 miles away, but said from what the pilot said it happened at about 1,800 feet up.

Seriously, WHAT?

Clearly a tragedy, my thoughts go out to all involved.

The AAIB spokesperson said "The weather conditions were good." Maybe so for non VFR flying activities?

I was in the air at approx the same time as the incident this afternoon and can certainly say that there was a layer of haze from approx 1500 - 3000 feet which inhibited visibility somewhat greatly! We were operating around the shawbury zone which is approx 20nm from the area and must have experienced the same visibility as we had.


If the involved aircraft were climbing / decending through this layer of haze at the same position, then they most certainly would not have had much time to take appropriate action to maintain adequate separation should they even see each other? Also as they were reported not to be under any radar control they had little chance of this occurrence being avoided if indeed caught up in the haze layer and on a relative heading?

The TAF's and METAR's are a useful tool to use and must be carefully studdied if VFR flight like in todays conditions are to be attempted.

My thoughts are with all involved this evening. A sad day for aviation.



P.S I stand to be corrected on any errors i may have posted.

TimeLapse,

I think I understand what you are saying. It is like a newspaper running a story about a guy who has had a car crash "his wife was informed just after 9pm when she arrived home in the £55,000 SLK Mercedes at their £450,000 detached house in xyztown. I agree.....totally irrelevant

Anyway, back to the point, the way I read it was that Mr Chamberlin (who just happens to be a chip shop owner) had heard the Mayday call on his scanner from where he was 'spotting' at EMA and obviously that contained the 'position and height fix'. It does actually indicate then that the aircraft were around 1800ft when the incident happened which does, from what paultuk says about the haze, indicate a lack of good viz.

From what I gather all the pilots of ZK-KAY hold CPL liciences to operate parachute drops. I know that some of them are commercial pilots aswel.

Sam

Yep I agree - wonder what the actual vis was that high up in the mist layer.. I think the only reason this doesn't happen more often is because of probabilities. We hit cars on the road because it's a 2D thing, with aviation being 3D the chance of 2 planes being in exactly the same piece of sky is fairly remote.. just luck wasn't with them today :S

The more airspace we get confined to sadly the more likely these things are gonna be :/

Obviously my thoughts are with the families of those involved - a very tragic day at the worst possible time of year.

I was in the vicinity of the accident today, flying the corridor between BHX / EMA (Pvt Site 3NM NNW of Ashbourne to Sywell, via Measham VRP); and missed the mayday call only briefly. I did wonder why EMA were handing heavies over to BHX at the time I was talking to them; now fully understand why a RIS was not available!

I can fully agree with earlier posts about the viz; at times it was far from great - even at the 1500 I stuck to most of the way home from a fantastic evening the night before; leaves a sour taste to the whole weekend in my mouth.

Once again my sincere thoughts are with the families of those no longer with us.

Terrible news. It was very mushy during my flight today in dorset and lots of unseen a/c on radio. Worrying.

Thoughts with the families involved.

To the CAA Airspace guys - the more class D airspace you allocate the more this will happen.