Two killed as aircraft crashes into sea

TWO men were killed when their light aircraft plunged into the sea off the Kintyre peninsula, police confirmed yesterday.

A search was launched after the men’s Piper PA-28, which had taken off from the councilrun airport in Oban, Argyll and Bute, failed to land in Carlisle.

But the hunt ended in tragedy when two bodies, along with debris from the crash, was found floating two miles off Skipness at around 8pm on Thursday.

Although they were flying from north of the Border it is unknown whether the men were Scottish.

A police spokesman said: ‘The bodies of two men and some wreckage from the aircraft were recovered in the sea near to Skipness, Argyll.

‘Enquiries are ongoing to establish the identities of the two men on board.’

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said the search for the pair was stood down before sunset on Thursday night.

A spokesman for the Air Accidents Investigation Branch added: ‘We have sent a small team of investigators to begin our investigations.’

Meanwhile, two paragliders were injured in separate incidents on Thursday.

The first broke his leg after a crashing into Meall A’ Buichaillenear in the Cairngorms.

After Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team tracked him down a coastguard helicopter lifted him to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.

A second flyer was later airlifted to Raigmore with a broken pelvis after hurtling into Clachaig Gully near Glencoe.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch has been informed.