What happened
On January 4, the pilot departed Prestwick Airport for a ferry flight intended to deliver the aircraft to Kidlington. Due to adverse weather conditions, she was forced to divert to RAF Squires Gate near Blackpool, where she remained overnight. The following day, on January 5, she took off again for what was expected to be a roughly ninety-minute journey.
However, four and a half hours after departure, the pilot lost her position above a solid cloud layer. It is believed she also exhausted her fuel supply during this period. She ejected from the aircraft over the Thames Estuary. Her parachute and the descending plane were observed by vessels in a nearby convoy. The captain of a Royal Navy escort ship attempted a rescue by diving into the freezing water but succumbed to exposure later. Despite these efforts, the pilot drowned, and her body was never recovered.
Findings
The source indicates that the pilot became lost above a solid cloud layer and was likely out of fuel at the time of the ejection. The rescue attempt by the naval officer resulted in his death from exposure, while the primary accident victim perished in the water.