Plane with two people onboard crashes in the English Channel

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

An emergency air-and-sea rescue operation was underway in the English Channel tonight after a plane with two people on board crashed after taking off in the UK.

The Piper PA-28 was in a group of aircraft which was heading to the northern France resort of Le Touquet on Saturday morning.

‘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.’

By 8.30pm in France, there was no sign of the occupants of the plane, who have not been identified publicly.

The Piper PA-28 was in a group of aircraft which was heading to the northern France resort of Le Touquet on Saturday morning (file image, Piper PA-28)

Those travelling in small planes such as the Piper PA-28 are usually equipped with lifejackets and a life raft.

While the plane may have sunk in the Channel, rescuers are accordingly hoping to find the pilot and passenger on the surface.

The PA-28 is a two or four-seat aircraft 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.

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