What happened
An air ambulance mission was being conducted from Ronaldsway in the Isle of Man toward Liverpool. The flight, managed by an Air Operator's Certificate holder, was operating under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) along a direct path toward the Seaforth dock region.
While navigating the northern edge of the Mersey Estuary, the pilot attempted a visual approach to Runway 09 at Liverpool. As the aircraft was executing a turn to align with the final approach, it struck the water. The impact occurred roughly 0.8 nautical miles from the runway threshold and 0.35 nautical miles south of the extended centerline. The aircraft disappeared into the sea following the impact. There were five fatalities among the occupants of the aircraft.
Findings
- The aircraft was performing a turn during the approach phase.
- The incident occurred while the crew was maintaining visual reference with the coastline.