Pilot who blamed himself for fatal plane crash found hanged

A PILOT who was found hanged at his family home had been badly affected by a plane crash which killed six people, his father said last night.

Oliver Lee, 29, blamed himself for the tragedy and believed that if he had been at the cockpit controls the disaster could have been averted.

The body of Mr Lee was found on Sunday in the stables of his family home in East Morton, near Bingley, which he shared with his father David, 54, and sister Harriet, 21.

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The pilot had formerly worked for the Manx2 airline – flying twice a day between Belfast and Cork – but left to join Jet2 and was type training to fly 737s. But, just days after he left Manx2 in February, the plane he used to fly crash landed on the runway at Cork Airport in dense fog, killing four passengers, the co-pilot and the pilot who was a close friend of Mr Lee.

Yesterday, his father David, company director of a textile firm, said: ”The Cork crash affected him profoundly.

“Oliver was based in Belfast for Manx2 and would fly to Cork twice daily.”

Jet2 contacted Mr Lee and offered him a position flying Boeing 737s from Leeds Bradford Airport, closer to his home, and he joined the Yorkshire company in early February.

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His father said: ”Five days after Oliver left the plane he used to fly with Manx2 came down. It was an utter shock to Oliver as he knew the pilot very well.

“The initial shock developed into guilt and Oliver felt it should have been him at the controls.

“Oliver felt strongly that if he’d been there nobody would have died. He knew the fog problems associated with Cork and he would say that he would have either postponed the flight for safety reasons, or landed it without incident.

“Oliver was also overcome by fear and it seemed to have suddenly hit him what can happen in the aviation industry – the fear and guilt just ate away at him.

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“Despite me and his colleague telling him there was nothing he could have done and it was not his fault, he just couldn’t accept it. It just all got too much for him.”

His father added that had he known his son was suicidal, “I would not have let him out of my sight.”

Mr Lee’s body was discovered by a Jet2 colleague who had become concerned when he failed to turn up for a pre-arranged meeting and called at the property.

Speaking last night his father said Mr Lee had a girlfriend Katie Long, whom he had been dating for more than five years, and who he had hoped to marry.

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He attended Keighley Prep School and Bradford Grammar before studying foreign languages for four years at Nottingham University.

His mother Louise, who died five years ago, had worked as a base manager at Leeds Bradford Airport for Serviceair and Mr Lee would work at the airport during school holidays and breaks from university.

His father added last night: ”Airports and airlines were in Oliver’s blood. It was his life.”

Manx2 Flight 7100, a turbo prop Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner, crashed on February 10.

It was piloted by Spaniard Jordi Lopez.

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Two attempts to land in thick fog were aborted and on a third attempt the right wing tip of the aircraft clipped the runway, the aircraft overturned, skidded for 200 metres and caught fire.

Among those who lost their lives were co-pilot Andrew Cantle, 27, of York.

Six people survived.

Last month, in a preliminary report, air accident investigator, Leo Murray, said no mechanical faults had yet been found.

He had not yet identified any failures in the airframe, systems or power plants during the flight or at the airfield.

A spokesperson for Jet2.com said: “We are saddened at the news of Oliver Lee’s tragic death and our thoughts are with his family during this difficult period.”

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