The loved ones of two men killed in a tragic plane crash have been told it was an accident - but the cause is still unknown. Adrian Findlay had taken his friend Robert Stephens for a flight in his Europa light aircraft when it crashed and burst in to flames. Both men somehow survived the initial crash but suffered "extensive burns" and died the following day in hospital. An inquest in to their deaths following the incident at Grove Farm in Wolvey, Warwickshire, was held today at Warwickshire Justice Centre in Leamington. And although an exact reason for the crash has not been found, the coroner for Warwickshire concluded that the cause of the deaths of Mr Findlay, 55, from Rugby, and Robert Stephens, 56, from Wolston, was an air accident. Speaking to their families in court, coroner Sean McGovern said: "This is a tragic and sad case. I'm sure for all of you it was a shocking and horrible day to find out what had happened. "I'm sorry we can't give you a clear answer as to what … [Read more...] about Mystery of light aircraft fireball tragedy
Aircraft lighting
Runway Lights Baffled Pilots on Night of San Francisco Near-Miss
Construction lights were so bright they were confusing to pilots who tried to land at night in July 2017 when a fatigued Air Canada crew almost struck four aircraft on the ground in San Francisco, according to preliminary reports.The National Transportation Safety Board released more than 500 pages of investigative reports Wednesday, including a video recording of the July 7 event, but didn’t reach conclusions on what caused the airliner to come within feet of triggering a catastrophe.Both pilots reported that they felt fatigued in the latter stages of their flight from Toronto. They were landing at about midnight local time, which was the equivalent of 3 a.m. where they had slept the night before, according to NTSB. The captain told investigators he may have gotten less than six hours of sleep and his rest had been disrupted by a late flight the previous night.As the Air Canada plane approached the runway, the copilot thought something “didn’t look right,” he … [Read more...] about Runway Lights Baffled Pilots on Night of San Francisco Near-Miss
1,374 drones light up the skies to break Guinness World Record in China (VIDEO)
A Chinese drone company has colored the night with 1,374 luminous dancing drones, to set a Guinness World Record for most UAV’s flown at the same time. The spectacular performance was staged above the tourist city of Xian in Northwestern China on Sunday. The quadcopters simultaneously took off from the ancient town walls and created various colorful 3D formations in the air. The 13-minute-long display, coordinated by a single person with a computer, included such figures as a Buddha, a caterpillar on a piece of wood and a high-speed train. The show also paid tribute to the ‘One Belt One Road’ initiative by Chinese leader Xi Jinping, which is aimed at boosting cooperation and connectivity among Eurasian countries. By flying 1,374 drones, the Chinese EHang Egret firm deprived Intel of its world record in the category. The US tech giant had lifted 1,218 dancing drones in the air during the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang in February, but now its … [Read more...] about 1,374 drones light up the skies to break Guinness World Record in China (VIDEO)
Two men died from serious burns after light aircraft crashed
The inquest into the deaths of two men who died after a light aircraft crash will take place this week. Adrian Findlay and Robert Stephens died after the plane they were in crashed to a field in Wolvey, Warwickshire, and burst in to flames on September 28, 2017. Both men were airlifted to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham with serious burns, but both Mr Findlay, 55, from Rugby, and Robert Stephens, 56, from Wolston, passed away. An investigation in to the crash near to Grove Farm in Wolvey was unable to provide a definite cause of the crash. The inquest will take place at Leamington Justice Centre on Friday and will be held by senior coroner for Warwickshire, Sean McGovern. Tributes Heartfelt tributes from the men's wives were released following the disaster. Mr Findlay’s wife Alison said: “Adrian was well-respected and much-loved by everyone he came into contact with. “Our whole family and his many friends are in shock at such a sudden and tragic loss. … [Read more...] about Two men died from serious burns after light aircraft crashed
Government gives green light to £8.1bn GKN takeover
The Government has given the green light to Melrose's £8.1bn takeover of British engineering giant GKN after finding there were no national security grounds for intervening in the deal. Takeover specialist Melrose won shareholder backing for its bitterly contested bid last month despite fears it could take an axe to jobs at the company, which makes components for leading car and aircraft manufacturers.At the time, Business Secretary Greg Clark said that the Government would formally consider whether the deal raised public interest concerns.But he told MPs on Tuesday that, following fresh assurances from Melrose, he would not intervene - though Labour said these were not enough to secure GKN's long-term future.Ministers have acknowledged the importance of GKN to the British economy. Its roots date back to the Industrial Revolution, and it employs 6,000 people in the UK.During the bid process, Mr Clark secured assurances on the future ownership of parts of the company as well as … [Read more...] about Government gives green light to £8.1bn GKN takeover