Air Crash Wreckage Airlifted From Smash Site

The wreckage of a downed light aircraft that smashed into a hilltop wood, killing both its pilots, was today lifted from its resting place by helicopter as a major probe into the crash continued.

Andy Thompson, 37, a first officer for budget airline Jet2, and businessman John MacKinnon, 53, both died when the plane came down in adverse weather conditions on Sunday.

Today, Air Accident Investigation Branch officers had the last of the wreckage removed from the scene near Abernyte, Perthshire, around six miles west of Dundee Airport.

A Forestry Commission helicopter was used to lift bagged wreckage from the inaccessible rural crash scene on to wide load lorries parked on a nearby farm road.

That was then transported off the hill and taken to the AAIB HQ in Farnborough, Berkshire, for a full examination.

Police today revealed police officers had been camped in tents overnight since Sunday to guard the scene of the crash.

They added that the weather - described as "brutal" by locals as heavy rain and winds of up to 35mph whipped across the area - as well as potential mechanical faults will form part of the probe.

And officers confirmed the plane had asked for permission to land shortly before it lost contact with the Dundee Airport control tower.

Chief Inspector Mike Whitford, area commander for Perth and Kinross for Police Scotland, said at the scene of the crash that the wreckage was to be removed to the Air Accident Investigation Branch in Farnborough for examination.

He said: "Today we are recovering the last of the wreckage of the aircraft.

"The AAIB have organised a helicopter to come and lift the wreckage, which is then put on lorries and taken off the hill.

"It will go to Farnborough for specialists to lay it out and see if there has been any mechanical element to this.

"The difficulty with an aircraft crash is there are so many different aspects that could have caused a crash like this."

The flight took off from Inverness around 11.30am and was due into Dundee around noon, but by 12.3pm serious concerns were raised when it disappeared from radar.

When it then failed to land a major operation was launched with Coastguard, the RAF, Police and Mountain Rescue involved in finding the downed plane.

Initial searches focused on an area of the River Tay near Errol after reports the plane had been spotted in the water there.

But wreckage was later spotted in the hills near Abernyte, near Forehill Wood, around six miles directly west of Dundee Airport.

Chief Inspector Whitford added: "Since the crash on Sunday we have had officers on the scene 24/7, searching and recovering and securing the scene.

"We have even had officers camped out up there in tents to keep it secure.

"It has all been gathered into large bags and they are to be lifted and brought down by the helicopter.

"The flight path from Inverness brings aircraft over these hills and in towards the airport.

"That is how we found it on Sunday - we first checked the river as that was the natural place a plane might come down, and when it wasn't seen the search helicopter went on to the flight path and saw the aircraft.

"The day of the crash the weather was very poor and that, along with other factors such as the mechanics, will form part of the investigation.

"It is a complicated enquiry."