Two men dead after light aircraft crashes in Greater Manchester
The Cirrus light aircraft had taken off from Birmingham on Tuesday and crashed in a farmland area of Littleborough shortly after 11am, police say.
Two men have died after a light aircraft crashed near Rochdale, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said.
The Cirrus light aircraft had taken off from Birmingham on Tuesday and crashed in a farmland area of Littleborough shortly after 11am, GMP said.
The force does not believe there was anyone else on board, and there are no reported injuries on the ground.
Chief Superintendent Danny Inglis, from GMP’s Rochdale district, said: “This is a devastating incident where two people have lost their lives and our thoughts are with their families and friends.”
The force has urged those who witnessed the crash to come forward with information.
A spokesman for Birmingham Airport had earlier confirmed that a private light aircraft left its XLR Executive Jet Centre at around 10am on Tuesday.
Flight tracking website FlightRadar24 said a Cirrus SR20 departed Birmingham just before 10am, travelling for around 40 minutes before the last signal was received south of the M62 motorway near Marsden, West Yorkshire.
Images circulated on social media appear to show a yellow parachute caught on a pylon near to the crash site.
A spokesman for the National Grid confirmed it had worked with the emergency services to support their response and help make the area safe, adding the electricity supply is unaffected.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said it has launched an investigation into the crash and sent a team to the site.
