Yorkshire pilot hanged himself over crash of plane he had flown

Oliver Lee, 29, was tormented by his belief that had he been in charge of the flight, those who perished in the tragedy at Cork would perhaps have been spared.

Ten days to two weeks before joining the training programme at Jet2.com, he had worked for an air operator in Spain.

The inquest at Bradford Coroners Court was told Mr Lee became a changed man after learning his old plane had crashed in Cork.

Two Irish citizens, three British passport holders and a Spaniard were killed and six others were injured when the commuter flight from Belfast crashed at Cork Airport on the morning of February 11. The Fairchild Metroliner involved had been the plane he had flown while working for Barcelona-based operator Flightline BCN.

Homeopathic counsellor Joyce Ormesher told the hearing: “He felt if he had been flying things might have been different and those six people might have been alive. He might have taken different decisions.”

Mr Lee’s body was found on Easter Day in an outbuilding at Cliff Farm, Morton Lane, East Morton, near Bradford, where he lived with his family.

Recording a suicide verdict yesterday, West Yorkshire Coroner Prof Paul Marks said: “He learned of a tragedy involving an aircraft which resulted in lives being lost in Cork.

“Although he was not directly involved in this, the plane that crashed was one he had previously flown. Possibly, because of his diligence and attention to detail he could have been involved in that flight and may have averted the fatal outcome that tragedy occurred.”

Mr Lee’s father David said afterwards: “It was a terrible shock.”