Fatal crash plane hits rail line
BBC
Page last updated at 23:12 GMT, Friday, 2 January 2009
At least two people died when their light aircraft crashed into overhead power lines on the West Coast Main Line in Staffordshire.
The single-engine plane came down where two tracks fork in Little Haywood, near Stafford, just before 1200 GMT.
The pilot has been named as Alan Matthews, who had 19 years' experience of flying.
A British Transport Police spokesman said officers could not rule out finding more bodies at the crash site.
Part of the major rail route is closed, disrupting travel between London Euston, the North West and Scotland.
Recovery operations are taking place but the line is not expected to be fully restored this weekend, the spokesman said.
Network Rail said all services through the area would be suspended until Saturday at the earliest.
Friday evening rush hour services from London Euston to Liverpool Lime Street, Birmingham New Street and Glasgow Central were cancelled.
Virgin Trains said passengers could use alternative services and that diversions were in place.
London Midland, which runs trains from Birmingham to Liverpool and from Crewe to London Euston, has suspended all services in the area.
Replacement buses have been set up.
'Black smoke'
Virgin Trains tickets dated for Friday will still be valid on Saturday.
Janet Hemmings, from Crewe, who was visiting her sister at the time, witnessed the crash.
She said: "We just heard a terrible noise, it was just too low to believe it sounded normal.
"Then my husband started shouting, 'I can see it coming down' and we ran into the garden and just saw something drop from the sky.
"There was just a big plume of black smoke and you could see the power cables to the railway line had actually snapped where it had obviously landed on the power cables."
Local resident Gerald Simpkin saw the plane come down and described it as looking like it was performing acrobatics.
He said: "We expected it to come back again but it didn't.
"We did not hear anything. There was no explosion, no smoke. A few minutes later we saw air ambulances arrive. It is tragic."
A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: "On arrival crews found the wreckage of a plane between two railway tracks - it had struck the power lines for the railway.
"Sadly there was nothing that could be done and and no-one has been taken to hospital."
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Re: UK - air crash on railway
Two die as plane crashes near railway lines causing travel disruption for thousands
Aircraft bursts into flames after hitting power lines in Staffordshire causing delays likely to spill over into weekend
* Lee Glendinning
* guardian.co.uk, Saturday 3 January 2009 00.57 GMT
Two people died when a light plane crashed near the west coast main line in Staffordshire yesterday, forcing the Âsuspension of services on one of the Âbusiest rail networks in the country and leading to delays that are likely to spill over into the weekend.
The single-engine aircraft, said to be a Piper Cherokee piloted by 59-year-old Alan Matthews from Walsall in the West Midlands, came down at Colwich ÂJunction, between Rugeley and Stafford, after colliding with overhead power lines and bursting into flames, narrowly missing a nearby housing estate.
Police said they could not rule out finding more bodies in the wreckage.
Paramedics were at the scene within three minutes, according to West Midlands ambulance service. "Sadly, there was nothing that could be done," a spokesman said.
Michael Wareham, from the village of Colwich, said the plane crashed a few hundred yards from his home. "I saw it Âflying over and I went into the back Âgarden and saw the aircraft. I thought 'this is a bit low'. I thought, it's not going to pull out of there, and then it vanished from sight, and I heard this hard thump and saw a huge plume of black smoke coming up from the ground.
"I knew as I ran out of my house to see what had happened that there would be no survivors. A light aircraft like that would never have survived that fall. He missed the last house by only 50 yards."
With debris from the crash spread across the tracks, and officers still examining the wreckage last night, the accident caused delays for thousands of rail travellers.
A Network Rail spokesman said all services through the heart of England between Rugby and Stafford would be suspended until today at the earliest as emergency services faced a "race against time".
British Transport police said the line was unlikely to be fully repaired this weekend.
Services between London and Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow were most severely affected.
The spokesman said: "Overhead electric equipment was brought down and there is debris in the vicinity of the track. Emergency services are securing the site and Network Rail awaits clearance before repairs can be made."
Where possible, alternative routes would be used and passengers should check with train operators. Virgin Trains said it was difficult to forecast how long the delays would last.
As officers worked to remove debris from the tracks, nearby residents described seeing the aircraft crash into a field between two rail tracks, narrowly missing a street of 14 houses.
Paramedics were at the scene within three minutes, according to West Midlands ambulance service. "Sadly, there was nothing that could be done."
Derek Higgott, 49, said he was working in his garden when the aircraft came down. "I heard the plane, I looked up, and suddenly it just turned and went straight down like a stunt plane. There was a huge thud and black smoke. You could feel the vibration from it."
Kath Wylie, 52, said she was sitting in her lounge when she heard a high-pitched whirring noise. "There was an almighty crash. The house shook. I shot up and shouted to my partner, 'There's been a train crash.'''
She said she could see smoke billowing from the site, which is at the junction of two railway lines. "All I could see was fire and smoke. There were people running over, members of the public, all on their phones calling the police."
Virgin services were being diverted via Birmingham and Wolverhampton, adding 40 minutes to journey times.
A spokesman said Virgin passengers could use their tickets to travel with other train operators.
London Midland, which runs trains from Birmingham to Liverpool and Crewe to Euston, suspended services around the affected area. Replacement bus services were running between Crewe and Rugby and between Wolverhampton and Crewe.
Aircraft bursts into flames after hitting power lines in Staffordshire causing delays likely to spill over into weekend
* Lee Glendinning
* guardian.co.uk, Saturday 3 January 2009 00.57 GMT
Two people died when a light plane crashed near the west coast main line in Staffordshire yesterday, forcing the Âsuspension of services on one of the Âbusiest rail networks in the country and leading to delays that are likely to spill over into the weekend.
The single-engine aircraft, said to be a Piper Cherokee piloted by 59-year-old Alan Matthews from Walsall in the West Midlands, came down at Colwich ÂJunction, between Rugeley and Stafford, after colliding with overhead power lines and bursting into flames, narrowly missing a nearby housing estate.
Police said they could not rule out finding more bodies in the wreckage.
Paramedics were at the scene within three minutes, according to West Midlands ambulance service. "Sadly, there was nothing that could be done," a spokesman said.
Michael Wareham, from the village of Colwich, said the plane crashed a few hundred yards from his home. "I saw it Âflying over and I went into the back Âgarden and saw the aircraft. I thought 'this is a bit low'. I thought, it's not going to pull out of there, and then it vanished from sight, and I heard this hard thump and saw a huge plume of black smoke coming up from the ground.
"I knew as I ran out of my house to see what had happened that there would be no survivors. A light aircraft like that would never have survived that fall. He missed the last house by only 50 yards."
With debris from the crash spread across the tracks, and officers still examining the wreckage last night, the accident caused delays for thousands of rail travellers.
A Network Rail spokesman said all services through the heart of England between Rugby and Stafford would be suspended until today at the earliest as emergency services faced a "race against time".
British Transport police said the line was unlikely to be fully repaired this weekend.
Services between London and Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow were most severely affected.
The spokesman said: "Overhead electric equipment was brought down and there is debris in the vicinity of the track. Emergency services are securing the site and Network Rail awaits clearance before repairs can be made."
Where possible, alternative routes would be used and passengers should check with train operators. Virgin Trains said it was difficult to forecast how long the delays would last.
As officers worked to remove debris from the tracks, nearby residents described seeing the aircraft crash into a field between two rail tracks, narrowly missing a street of 14 houses.
Paramedics were at the scene within three minutes, according to West Midlands ambulance service. "Sadly, there was nothing that could be done."
Derek Higgott, 49, said he was working in his garden when the aircraft came down. "I heard the plane, I looked up, and suddenly it just turned and went straight down like a stunt plane. There was a huge thud and black smoke. You could feel the vibration from it."
Kath Wylie, 52, said she was sitting in her lounge when she heard a high-pitched whirring noise. "There was an almighty crash. The house shook. I shot up and shouted to my partner, 'There's been a train crash.'''
She said she could see smoke billowing from the site, which is at the junction of two railway lines. "All I could see was fire and smoke. There were people running over, members of the public, all on their phones calling the police."
Virgin services were being diverted via Birmingham and Wolverhampton, adding 40 minutes to journey times.
A spokesman said Virgin passengers could use their tickets to travel with other train operators.
London Midland, which runs trains from Birmingham to Liverpool and Crewe to Euston, suspended services around the affected area. Replacement bus services were running between Crewe and Rugby and between Wolverhampton and Crewe.
