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Body found in plane could be missing German pilot

Benarkle II Part of the wreckage of the submerged Cessna 172 is pulled from the seabed in the fishing nets of the Benarkle II trawler.Benarkle II
The Benarkle II trawler recovered the wreckage north-east of Lerwick

A body found in the wreckage of a light aircraft recovered from the North Sea could be that of a German pilot who disappeared over a year ago.

The Cessna 172 was discovered off Shetland on Friday afternoon and brought ashore by a fishing boat on Sunday.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said the wreckage was that of a plane that disappeared between Shetland and Norway in September last year.

Police Scotland said it was now working to confirm the identity of human remains found inside the aircraft.

The single engine four-seater plane had taken off from Uutersen Airport in Heist, Germany with one person on board at about 10:30 on 30 September, 2023.

A report from German investigators Bundesstelle für Flugunfalluntersuchung (BFU), published in April, said the 62-year-old pilot had stated he was travelling south to visit relatives in Bayreuth.

But immediately after take off, he headed in a north westerly direction.

The report also said that he had requested an aircraft with autopilot and had told his wife that morning that she could not accompany him as planned.

There was no radio contact from the pilot, and the aircraft disappeared from radar screens about 80 miles (128km) off Shetland, just over six hours after taking off.

A search and rescue operation involving a Coastguard plane failed to find any trace of the Cessna at the time.

But on Friday, wreckage was brought to the surface, tangled up in the nets of the Peterhead-registered trawler Benarkle II.

It was taken ashore at Lerwick on Sunday, and police confirmed that human remains had been discovered.

A police car is parked at Lerwick Harbour. A fishing trawler is moored nearby. Steps have been positioned leading from the harbour to the boat.
The aircraft wreckage was found by the crew of the Benarkle II fishing trawler

The AAIB said it was supporting investigations by Police Scotland and the German authorities.

A spokesperson said: "We were informed that the remains of a German-registered Cessna 172, which was lost in the North Sea in September 2023, had been recovered by a fishing vessel on 6 December and brought to shore in Shetland on Sunday.

"The AAIB is supporting Police Scotland and working with the BFU to assist their safety investigation."

Ch Insp Chris Sewell from Police Scotland said formal identification of the remains had not yet taken place.

"Today, local officers supported by specialist resources have been in contact with the Air Accidents Investigation Branch and the German authorities to investigate the circumstances of this incident," he said.