Fears for pilot after aircraft vanishes

Apr 6 2008 By Jim Lawson

A SOLO pilot was feared dead last night after a light aircraft went missing in the Highlands.

RAF helicopters and mountain rescuers battled treacherous conditions in the Cairngorms after the private Piper 32 aircraft disappeared from radar at around 11am yesterday.

The male pilot last made radio contact about seven miles east of Aviemore and told other pilots his plane was starting to ice up.

He was flying from Carlisle, in Cumbria, to Wick, in Caithness, when the weather worsened.

An RAF Lossiemouth chopper was joined by another from Boulmer, Northumberland.

The plane was last seen heading south near the Ptarmigan restaurant at the top of the Cairngorm funicular railway.

The sightings were followed by reports of a loud bang.

The search was being conducted over an area of around 50 square miles.

As well as the air search, six mountain rescue teams were also involved, including RAF teams from Kinloss and Leuchars.

But search crews were hindered by poor visibility and snow showers.

An RAF spokesman said: "It's difficult looking for a snow-covered small aircraft in a snow-covered landscape. The search is concentrated south-east of Glenmore Lodge."

The plane was flown to Carlisle from Wolverhampton on Friday. It is thought the pilot planned to fly from Scotland to Iceland or the Faroe Islands.