What happened
At 06:59 UTC, an aircraft departed Southend under a Special VFR clearance, flying toward Wallasey via Daventry and Whitegate at an altitude of 2,400 feet. After passing through the Liverpool Special Rules Zone, the aircraft proceeded north toward Glasgow. At 08:01, the crew contacted Warton aerodrome to report a descent to 1,000 feet and requested radar service. While the radar transponder was active, the height encoding feature was not engaged.
By 08:09, the crew notified Walney Island that they were nine miles south of the airfield at 1,000 feet, requesting permission to overfly the station. Shortly thereafter, at 08:12, an air traffic controller observed the aircraft abeam the airfield at approximately 800 feet and instructed the crew to report their position at Millom. During this period, a witness on a nearby beach observed the aircraft moving in and out of cloud at an altitude estimated to be no more than 400 feet.
Radar data from Great Dunn Fell and St Anne's indicated the aircraft maintained a track of 007°M until contact was lost at 08:13 near Walney Island airfield. Analysis suggested the aircraft was likely at or below 350 feet altitude at the time of signal loss. The crew failed to provide the requested report at Millom, and by 08:16, the controller's attempt to redirect the flight to London Information went unanswered.
At approximately 08:15, a local witness heard an impact near Ponsonby Fell during heavy rain, mist, and strong winds. The aircraft struck the ground roughly 15 metres below the summit of the fell. The impact resulted in the destruction of the aircraft and two fatalities.