Date:	Thursday 3 December 2015
Time:	09:11 LT
Type:	Commander 114B
Owner/operator:	Private
Registration:	2-ROAM
MSN:	14637
Year of manufacture:	1995
Engine model:	Lycoming IO-540
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Aircraft missing
Category:	Accident
Location:	Irish Sea, 2.5 miles off Blackpool, Lancashire -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Private
Departure airport:	Isle of Man Airport (IOM/EGNS)
Destination airport:	Blackpool, Lancashire (BLK/EGNH)
Investigating agency:	AAIB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
A light aircraft went missing over the Irish Sea on 3/12/2015; aircraft is believed to have ditched into the sea whilst en route between the Isle of Man and Blackpool, Lancashire, after it failed to arrive as expected at Blackpool Airport at 9:15 am local time. The aircraft was last sighted on radar at 1,300 feet and approximately three miles off the Lancashire coast. According to the summary of the official AAIB report into the accident:

"The aircraft was on a VFR flight from Ronaldsway to Blackpool. A bank of low cloud was moving out to sea, and analysis of the radar track found that, coincident with encountering this cloud, the aircraft descended and its speed reduced until it disappeared from radar. Intensive SAR efforts did not locate the aircraft or pilot. The available evidence suggests that the aircraft may have stalled at a height from which recovery was not possible."

According to contemporary press reports:

"Fuel and debris have been found in the search for a plane that went missing off the coast of Blackpool this morning. The discovery was made by rescue crews scouring a 45 square mile area of the Irish Sea. The debris was collected by one of several RNLI boats and was taken back to shore for examination as the search came to an end for the evening.

Senior coastal operations officer for the UK Coastguard service, Adam Bradbury, said: "All I can say is there have been some objects recovered but we don't know where they are from yet. It's too early."

The light aircraft was on its way to Blackpool Airport from the Isle of Man when it lost contact with air traffic controllers and vanished from radar shortly after 9am. The pilot was the only person on board. Duty controller Matthew Mace added: "We have used all the means and assets available to search an extensive area off the Blackpool coast. We have suspended todays search due to failing light and we will review overnight what searches will be conducted tomorrow."

An earlier search along the coastline found no sign of the downed aircraft, sparking fears the plane had 'ditched' into the sea in poor weather conditions. The multi-agency response included volunteer RNLI crews from St Annes, Blackpool, Fleetwood, and Southport, two search and rescue helicopters, including one from Wales, and an on-shore team of experts.

The Lancashire Fire and Rescue service and police were also involved in a search of sand dunes close to Blackpool Airport at Starr Gate.

1. AAIB: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/576808d040f0b652dd000090/Rockwell_Commander_114B_2-ROAM_07-16.pdf
NTSB
3. http://news.sky.com/story/1599124/missing-aircraft-may-have-ditched-into-sea
4. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/aviation/12030929/Hunt-for-light-aircraft-missing-off-Blackpool-coast.html
5. https://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/news/crime/breaking-search-for-plane-ends-as-fuel-and-debris-found-1-7604440
6. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-34994954
7. https://www.lancsfirerescue.org.uk/2015/12/multi-agency-response-to-report-of-aircraft-missing-off-blackpool-coast/utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
8. http://hmcoastguard.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/search-for-missing-light-aircraft-off.html
9. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3344825/Major-coastguard-search-underway-light-aircraft-flying-Isle-Man-Blackpool-vanishes-radar-Irish-Sea.html
10. https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/missing-plane-search-teams-find-6949757

Search for missing light aircraft off the Blackpool coast https://t.co/St45mYT3jW pic.twitter.com/7Fia3kIWCt

— Maritime&Coastguard (@MCA_media) December 3, 2015

Multi-agency response to report of aircraft missing off Blackpool coast: Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service we... https://t.co/lmLuXKQFNu

— Lancashire Fire (@LancashireFRS) December 3, 2015

Lifeboats from @RNLIBlackpool, @LythamRNLI and @FleetwoodRNLI continue searching for a missing light aircraft: https://t.co/6g0s981oKk

— RNLI (@RNLI) December 3, 2015

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
03-Dec-2015 13:59	Rumbachtaler	Added
03-Dec-2015 14:33	Iceman 29	Updated [Embed code, ]
03-Dec-2015 14:33	Anon.	Updated [Embed code, Narrative, ]
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03-Dec-2015 18:35	Dr.John Smith	Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Total fatalities, Other fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative, ]
03-Dec-2015 18:41	Dr.John Smith	Updated [Source, Embed code, Narrative, ]
03-Dec-2015 18:44	Dr.John Smith	Updated [Embed code, ]
04-Dec-2015 22:21	Dr.John Smith	Updated [Location, Source, Embed code, Narrative, ]
15-Dec-2015 19:54	Aerossurance	Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Location, Source, Narrative, ]
14-Jul-2016 14:36	Dr.John Smith	Updated [Time, Location, Source, Narrative, ]