What happened
On 9 June 2016, an Ikarus C42 FB80, registration G-OJDS, departed City of Derry Airport, Northern Ireland, for a flight to Kirkbride aerodrome in Cumbria. The aircraft was carrying two people on board. During the flight, the pilot reported an altitude of 1,200 ft and indicated intentions to route towards Port Rush while descending to maintain visual meteorological conditions.
At approximately 1103 hrs, a commercial pilot in contact with Scottish Air Traffic Control noted that the aircraft was attempting to establish contact with the controller, though the controller could not hear the transmissions. The pilot of another aircraft, which had departed shortly before G-OJDS, last observed the aircraft near Cushendun, approximately 32 nm north of Belfast, at around 1128 hrs. At that time, no signs of distress were noted. The following day, pieces of the aircraft' and the rear fuselage were discovered floating in the sea, 6.9 nm south-east of Cushendun.
The investigation
The AAIB conducted a field investigation following the report of the missing aircraft. Investigators examined recovered wreckage from the sea. Analysis of images of these fragments indicated that the Ikarus C42 FB80 had impacted the water with significant force. However, because the recovered material was limited and no other substantial evidence was available, the investigation could not establish a definitive cause for the accident.
Findings
- The aircraft struck the sea with high impact force.
- The investigation was unable to determine the specific cause of the loss of the aircraft due to the lack of recovered wreckage and substantive evidence.