Missing Warwickshire pilots not qualified to fly in cloud, say investigators

Two pilots whose plane went missing over the English Channel are believed to have lost control in cloud, investigators have said.

Lee Rogers and Brian Statham were flying in a group from Wellesbourne in Warwickshire to France on 2 April when they encountered "freak weather conditions".

The men and their aircraft have never been found.

Investigators said neither men were qualified to fly in cloud.

The two friends who met at South Warwickshire Flying school about a decade ago, were in a Piper Cherokee Arrow II (G-EGVA) and went missing approximately 20 nautical miles west of Le Touquet, the Air Accident Investigation Branch said in its report.

A line of "highly convective cloud" was forecast on their intended route in the Channel and as they approached the middle of the sea, one of the pilots reported to London information that they were in cloud.

The cloud included heavy rain, snow showers, thunderstorm, severe ice and turbulence, lead investigator Julian Firth, said.

"Neither of the pilots onboard was qualified to fly in cloud. Shortly after this transmission the aircraft disappeared from radar," the AAIB report said.

"The available evidence, at the time of issue of this report, suggests that control of the aircraft was lost when it entered cloud."

Warwickshire Police said at the time of the crash the men had encountered "freak weather conditions".

"We have got quite comprehensive data for the aircraft up to a particular point in their flight from which it appears to go into quite a significant descent," Mr Firth said.

"We believe it is highly unlikely the aircraft could recover safely from that."

Mr Rogers posted a video of the pair flying over the channel before they went missing, which showed blues skies and a calm sea.

The search was officially called off on 3 April with relatives saying they wanted to find their bodies so they could "say goodbye".

Mr Statham, from Solihull, was described by his family as "always living life to the full" and spent more than 40 years in the motor trade in Birmingham, owning a garage in Castle Vale.

The family of Mr Rogers said he was a "wonderful father, a loving husband, and a devoted family man" who was "larger than life" and loved fast, loud machines.

Crispin Orr, AAIB chief inspector, said it was a "tragic accident" and reminded pilots of the importance of "pre-flight weather decision making".

He said the AAIB had investigated "numerous accidents when control of an aircraft was lost in these circumstances".

"The accident highlights how hazardous it is to fly into cloud when not suitably qualified or when not in current practice in instrument flying," he said.

The AAIB said its investigation would continue to examine operational, technical, and human factors which might have contributed to the accident.

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