'Engine icing' caused small plane to crash into trees near Prestwick Airport

An investigation has found that a light plane crashed into trees near Prestwick Airport due to a loss of engine power.

Police were called to Monkton following reports of a small aircraft crash with two people onboard on April 23 this year.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) found the aircraft, which left Prestwick at around 2pm on the day, suffered a power loss to its engine when landing.

Two men, aged 65 and 75, were onboard the flight when it struck a tree during a glide descent of a forced landing and subsequently hit the ground vertically nose-down around one and a half miles away from the airport.

Both occupants were taken to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital by helicopter for treatment after sustaining severe injuries.

According to the investigation report, the operator said that carburettor icing – which is when water vapor freezes on the internal surface of an engine – was the most likely cause of the crash.

It also found that the Pilot in Charge (PIC) was 75 with a total of 307 hours of flying experience, none of which occurred in the three months prior to the accident.

The pilot’s rating had lapsed the previous year, and the flight was an attempt to recover his currency by flying with a chief flying instructor (CFI) of a flying club based at Prestwick Airport.

The report concluded: “The engine most likely stopped because of carburettor icing and a forced landing ensued.

“The aircraft struck trees during the latter stages of the approach to the forced landing and control was lost.

“Both occupants survived but sustained severe injuries.”