This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/northern_ireland/8098544.stm
The article has changed 11 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Inquiry follows fatal plane crash | Inquiry follows fatal plane crash |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| Air accident investigators are on their way to the scene of a plane crash in County Down which killed three men. | Air accident investigators are on their way to the scene of a plane crash in County Down which killed three men. |
| The light aircraft crashed in a field and burst into flames, near a private airstrip in Kilkeel, at about 2100 BST on Friday. | |
| The three men who died - pilot Hugh McKnight, 53, and passengers Steven Annett and Andrew Burden, both 24 - were all from the village of Annalong. | |
| It is understood they were returning from the Isle of Man TT races. | |
| Local people said it was misty at the time of the crash in the Belmont Road area. | |
| Farmers who live nearby rushed to the scene. They said wreckage from the small plane was scattered across the field, but there was nothing they could do for the occupants. | Farmers who live nearby rushed to the scene. They said wreckage from the small plane was scattered across the field, but there was nothing they could do for the occupants. |
| John Denvir from the Fire and Rescue Service said the plane had crashed in a remote location. | John Denvir from the Fire and Rescue Service said the plane had crashed in a remote location. |
| Fire Officer John Denvir said the plane came down in a remote area | Fire Officer John Denvir said the plane came down in a remote area |
| "We, unfortunately, found a light aircraft which had come down short of the runway here and crashed into a field," he said. | "We, unfortunately, found a light aircraft which had come down short of the runway here and crashed into a field," he said. |
| "There were three people on board and, unfortunately, those three people were fatalities at the scene." | "There were three people on board and, unfortunately, those three people were fatalities at the scene." |
| It is the second air crash in the area in a fortnight. In the previous incident, two men survived. | It is the second air crash in the area in a fortnight. In the previous incident, two men survived. |
| Local councillor Henry Reilly said there were two airstrips within a mile of each other. | Local councillor Henry Reilly said there were two airstrips within a mile of each other. |
| "There are so many people involved in light aircraft flying now and it's generally a safe occupation," he said. | "There are so many people involved in light aircraft flying now and it's generally a safe occupation," he said. |
| "Within the last year we have had three crashes within half a mile of where I'm standing so it obviously has its hazards. This has been particularly bad." | "Within the last year we have had three crashes within half a mile of where I'm standing so it obviously has its hazards. This has been particularly bad." |