Three Britons killed in Dubai plane crash
tHree Britons were killed yesterday when their plane crashed in dubai.
the four- seat, twin- engine diamond da42, registered in the UK, came down around three miles south of dubai International airport.
all four people on board – the pilot, co-pilot and two passengers – were killed in the crash, which was caused by a ‘technical malfunction’. a South african was also among the dead.
a spokesman for dubai’s civil aviation authority said the plane was checking beacons used by pilots approaching the airport.
the aircraft was owned by Flight calibration Services, based at Shoreham airport, in West Sussex. It sends staff around the world to inspect and calibrate airport navigation aids such as radars and landing systems.
Flights were halted at the airport for about an hour after the crash, which happened at 7.30pm, and dubai’s General civil aviation authority began an investigation. the plane, built by the austrian firm diamond aircraft Industries, is thought to have been subcontracted by the US technology company Honeywell. a Foreign Office spokesman said last night: ‘We are working closely with the emirati authorities following reports of a small aircraft crash in dubai.’ Flight calibration Services describes itself as Britain’s ‘main flight inspection service provider’,
‘Technical malfunction’
with customers including Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow and edinburgh airports.
Last November, it announced it had won the flight-check contract for checking landing beacons at dubai International airport, which it said added to its contracts in the region.
dubai is a major city in the United arab emirates, a federation of seven sheikhdoms on the arabian Peninsula.
the airport is the world’s busiest for international travel, and has one of the best safety records of any major airport.
the last significant incident was in august 2016 when emirates Flight 521 from thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, India, crashed on the runway. all 300 passengers and crew survived, with only 30 taken to hospital. One firefighter was killed when the Boeing 777’s fuel exploded in the blaze.