Body found in plane wreckage off Scottish islands could be missing German pilot

The wreckage of the plane was found north-east of Lerwick, in the Shetland Islands

A body found inside the wreckage of a small plane recovered from the North Sea near Shetland could be that of a German pilot who disappeared more than a year ago.

The Cessna 172 was discovered off Shetland on Friday afternoon and brought ashore by a fishing boat on Sunday. The aircraft was found about 2.20pm in waters north east of Lerwick.

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The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said the wreckage was that of a plane that disappeared between Shetland and Norway in September last year.

A beach near Lerwick on the Shetland Islands. The wreckage of a small plane was found north-east of LerwickA beach near Lerwick on the Shetland Islands. The wreckage of a small plane was found north-east of Lerwick
A beach near Lerwick on the Shetland Islands. The wreckage of a small plane was found north-east of Lerwick | Getty Images/iStockphoto

The single engine plane had taken off from Uutersen Airport in Heist, Germany with one person on board on the morning of September 30 last year.

A report from German investigators in April said the 62-year-old pilot had stated he was travelling south to visit relatives in Bayreuth. Immediately after take off, however, he headed in a north-westerly direction.

The report also said he had requested an aircraft with autopilot and told his wife that morning she could not accompany him as planned.

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There was no radio contact from the pilot, and the aircraft disappeared from radar screens about 80 miles off Shetland, just over six hours after taking off.

A search and rescue operation failed to find any trace of the aircraft at the time. But wreckage was brought to the surface on Friday, tangled up in the nets of the Peterhead-registered trawler Benarkle II, and taken ashore at Lerwick on Sunday.

The AAIB said it was helping Police Scotland and the German authorities.

A spokesperson said: "We were informed that the remains of a German-registered Cessna 172, which was lost in the North Sea in September 2023, had been recovered by a fishing vessel on December 6 and brought to shore in Shetland on Sunday.

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"The AAIB is supporting Police Scotland and working with the BFU to assist their safety investigation."

Ch Insp Chris Sewell, from Police Scotland, said formal identification of the body had not yet taken place.

"Local officers supported by specialist resources have been in contact with the Air Accidents Investigation Branch and the German authorities to investigate the circumstances of this incident," he said.

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