The hot weather could have triggered the plane crash which killed four people including a Wolverhampton father and his 15-year-old son, it emerged today.
Wolverhampton businessman Tony Birch, aged 52, and his 15-year-old son Ryan, from Trescott, were killed along with fellow passenger Simona Marshall, 51, of Lichfield, and 48-year-old pilot Martin Rhodes, of Stoke-on-Trent.
Richard Steele, manager of the Isle of Wight airport where the Piper Cherokee nose-dived into a field moments after leaving the ground, said today: “The take-off did not appear normal – the plane was very slow in gaining altitude.” The hot weather could have made the air less dense and provided less lift, say experts.
Investigators are now checking whether the plane was denied vital power as it left on the final leg of its journey to France at noon on Sunday, the hottest day of the year.
An expert said: “It was a very hot day with very little wind.
“Heat makes the air less dense and this reduces engine power and means the wings produce less lift.
“Lack of a headwind also reduces the speed which a plane can climb after take-off.”
The Isle of Wight airport has an 884-metre runway and the four-seater Piper Cherokee was carrying its maximum number of passengers.
Mr Steele said: “The plane had an uneventful landing before those on board spent around an hour on the ground.
“Why it did not take off normally is a matter for the investigators and could take months to resolve.”
Mr Birch, a concrete mixer owner-driver and builder who was brought up in Featherstone, and his son were flying to France to join his wife Lesley in Brittany.
Mr Birch had stayed behind with Ryan, who had wanted to take part in a water skiing event at Chasewater, Burntwood, on Saturday.
He was a rising star in the sport.
Coroner’s officer Richard Leedham said their bodies would not be flown back to Wolverhampton until an inquest had been opened, either on Friday or the Monday.
A Home Office pathologist will be carrying out post mortems on Thursday.
He said an inquest was expected to take place on Friday or Monday next week.
By John Scott and Becky Sharpe
14 Comments
omgg babe im goin to miss u so so much x chase will never be tha same without u again x i love you soo much hunni xx r.i.p mi little angel and tek care xxx lots of love babe xxxxxxxxxx
we wer all lookin forward to the good weather, how could heat do that!! many planes fly in any weather! if this is the actual case this is even more tragic and shocking,
Iam Ryans ict buddy and iam moving to america and got him to sign im my leaving book he rote “safe safe lil man, Im gonna miss ya kid in ict we av had a right laff i dunno what to say so…………
catch ya soon, love ya Birchey xxxx” This says alot about him he was a great lad and will be missed alot my thourghts go to his family.
i need to say this to get this off my mind i know ryan birch but his mates called him birchy i was in his class for 2 years and i remember the last thing i said to him and that was see you next year and i just want to say r.i.p to birchy and his dad and the other two people involved and my heart goes out to the mother and brother
well its been a few days now and were all still in SHOCK its hard to believe were never going to see or hear from them ever again and what makes it harder is they were took so tragicly no chance to say good bye i keep checking the news and tv in the hope it will all be a mistake my heart goes out to Lesley & Craig and also my big brother Bob as he will have lost his partner in crime lol and his right arm as him and bone (Tony) were so very close i just hope you know no matter what were all here for you from Tony’s sister Maxine
RIP Tony & Ryan
from sister Maxine & husband Pete
we are going to miss them loads they are the best cousin and uncle i had and my heart goes to my aunty lesley and my cousin craig and my dad (bob)his brother i am going to miss them loads lv sam xxxxxxxx
R.I.P UNCLE AND COUSIN
from sam x x
i still cant believe it!!! im still waiting to hear tonys infectious laugh!!! lesley n craig u no well always be here for you!!! and you dad i no how much you and tony were close and how much you needed 1 and other i cant believe how close you were brothers are supposed to fight and argue but not you 2!!! ill miss you both forever and always my uncle tony and lil cuz ryan love you xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
wat to say u i will miss u so much birch an tony u were two grt ppl an have touched so may ppls lives an will be missed so so much
birchys ‘wat r u doin’ an tonys laugh
luv u always
an foreva
xxxxxxx
omg birchy i carnt stop thinking about u and when i go back to skool it will seem dead because u aint there to cheer my up and i carnt stop crying and the last words i said to u was i will see u at my bday party u was my best mate and now i have got now one to walk back from skool and no one to make me laugth now hope u had a gud life R.I.P lv chizzlexxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
the other 2 people that my heart goes to are you mom and brother no one could sorri R.I.P birchy and tony xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Im so sorry to hear about this lesley,any help you ever might need please call me,R.I.P Boys i will miss you so much.
i was so sorry to come bk from my holiday and here about this, my heart goes out to ryan and his dads family. who is going to make french interesting now? and throw pens at me etc etc. He was a great lad that will b hugely missed, i think every classroom will feel abit more empty now as he always was the loud one! RIP x x x x
I first met Birchy when i started codsall high school. He was a great mate to me from the very start, he knew me because of my brother. He was always up for a good laugh and he was always in a good mood he was extremely talented especially when it came to wakeboarding the last thing i said to him was when i was at school. I said alright Birchy, but i never got to say bye, everyone will miss you mate R.I.P
just to say that 2day when everybody went bk 2 skwl no-body 4got about yhew; n everybody is missin you so much. we had a
assembley for you 2day. we doin you a board wiv all your memories on it & i bench in your name. there’s going to be an award in your name too. everybody got upset in assembley. [r.i.p] birhcey; tony and the rest who was on board. xx