Safety failure led to Manx plane crash

Air accident inspectors identified nine significant issues which contributed to the Manx2.com service from Belfast to Cork crashing in dense fog, including tiredness and fatigue of the flight crew - both of whom died.

The six people killed in the tragedy, which happened in February 2011, included Richard Noble, a 49-year-old businessman who was originally from Yorkshire but lived in Northern Ireland. A wing of the turboprop Fairchild Metroliner clipped the ground as the pilots tried to abort a third landing attempt and it crashed in soft ground next to the runway. In its final report, Ireland’s Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) said there was inadequate oversight of the remote service by Flightline and by the Agencia Estatal de Seguridad Aerea (AESA), the Spanish civil aviation authority.

In a statement investigators said: “The AAIU recognises that this is a difficult time for those families who lost loved ones and the surviving passengers who suffered injuries in this tragic accident. Our deepest sympathies to all concerned.”

The crash brought further tragedy to the region when Bradford pilot Oliver Lee hung himself just days after the crash.

Mr Lee had recently quit the firm but was tormented by the belief that had he been in charge of the flight it would not have crashed.