Date:	Sunday 21 July 2013
Time:	12:00
Type:	Cirrus SR22 GTS
Owner/operator:	147 Aviation Inc Trustee
Registration:	N147KA
MSN:	1687
Year of manufacture:	2006
Engine model:	Continental IO-550-N
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Category:	Accident
Location:	English Channel, 25 nm S of Beachy Head, East Sussex -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Private
Departure airport:	Blackbushe (BBS/EGLK)
Destination airport:	Le Touquet (LTQ/LFAT)
Investigating agency:	AAIB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
US registered aircraft with 1 person board missing en-route UK-France. Wreckage found mid channel, but pilot missing. Aircraft's last reported position (on radar) was at 10:31:45 local, at the handover point between UK and French ATC, approximately 25 nautical miles south of Beachy Head, East Sussex (and 28 nautical miles North of Le Touquet). The aircraft disappeared from radar 2 minutes 45 seconds later.

No "MAYDAY" message was ever sent, and it was due to the fact that the aircraft was overdue at Le Touquet that initiated the search and rescue action. This implies a CFIT (Controlled Flight Into Terrain - in this case, The English Channel)

According to the summary of the official AAIB report into the incident:

"The aircraft was flying from Blackbushe to Le Touquet when it disappeared from radar. The pilot had informed ATC of his intention to fly to Le Touquet and the aircraft departed the Blackbushe circuit at 0948 hrs.

The aircraft routed to the east of the Farnborough zone, south to the Midhurst VOR, then towards the Seaford VOR before setting out over the English Channel on a course consistent with a direct track towards Le Touquet. At 1020 hrs the pilot contacted London Information stating that he was crossing the coast east of Seaford. He subsequently passed an ETA for Le Touquet of 1044 hrs. No further transmissions were heard from the aircraft.

After crossing the coast, the aircraft maintained a near constant speed, height and track until 28 nm from Le Touquet. It then turned left and descended before reversing course to the right onto a track of 081º. It maintained this new track and height until just before the radar returns ceased at 1034 hrs. The French authorities initiated overdue action when the aircraft failed to arrive at Le Touquet. Search and rescue operations located wreckage on the surface of the sea in the vicinity of the last radar return.

Small sections of the aircraft recovered later from the sea surface indicated that it experienced a high-energy impact with the surface. The aircraft was being flown in conditions of low cloud or sea fog with little or no discernable horizon. The pilot did not have an instrument or IMC rating. The investigation did not determine the cause of the accident."

The pilot was named in contemporary press reports as Sascha Schornstein, a German national, living in the London area. An appeal by his widow to raise £10,000 to recover the wreckage was successful (in total £20,457 was raised); however, only 15% of the wreckage had been found - the flight data recorder and engine remain missing. The body of the pilot has not been found, so it is not possible to confirm if he is (or is not) still within the aircraft

As far as Hampshire Police are concerned (since the plane took off from Blackbushe, Hampshire) the incident is still officially a "missing persons inquiry" due to the uncertainty of the whereabouts of the (presumably deceased) pilot

1. http://www.bea.aero/fr/enquetes/2013/2013.semaine.29.pdf
2. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23399158
3. https://www.premar-manche.gouv.fr/actualites-communiques-presse/avion-tourisme-abime-mer-large-boulogne-sur-mer.html
4. https://www.pprune.org/private-flying/519613-aircraft-down-channel.html
5. AAIB: http://www.aaib.gov.uk/cms_resources.cfm?file=/Cirrus%20SR22,%20N147KA%2004-14.pdf
6. FAA: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?nNumberTxt=N147KA
7. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/10341406/The-volunteers-searching-for-a-loved-one-in-the-waters-of-the-English-Channel.html
8. http://www.basingstokegazette.co.uk/news/10578488.Wife_s_plea_in_missing_pilot_hunt/
NTSB

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
21-Jul-2013 15:05	sharla	Added
21-Jul-2013 21:11	JINX	Updated [Other fatalities, Location, Narrative, ]
21-Jul-2013 23:08	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, ]
22-Jul-2013 03:29	freddyc	Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, ]
22-Jul-2013 09:07	smartbrit	Updated [Registration, Narrative, ]
22-Jul-2013 09:08	harro	Updated [Registration, Narrative, ]
22-Jul-2013 14:36	JINX	Updated [Location, Narrative, ]
22-Jul-2013 21:19	Geno	Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, ]
23-Jul-2013 17:05	harro	Updated [Source, ]
26-Jul-2013 12:06	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Location, Source, Embed code, Narrative, ]
18-Apr-2014 20:08	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Location, Source, Narrative, ]
18-Apr-2014 20:36	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative, ]
18-Apr-2014 20:59	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative, ]
18-Apr-2014 21:03	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative, ]
24-Sep-2015 18:36	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Embed code, ]
21-Dec-2016 19:28	ASN Update Bot	Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency, ]