Plane crash inquiry under way

One of the flight recorders has already been recovered

An inquiry into why a Royal Mail plane crashed into the Firth of Forth - killing the two crew men on board - has been launched.

One of the two flight recorders on board the Shorts 360 D has already been recovered and air accident investigators are on their way to the scene.

The plane, operated by Loganair, ditched into the water minutes after taking off from Edinburgh Airport shortly after 1730GMT on Tuesday.

Divers recovered the bodies of the crew from the icy waters of the Firth of Forth later that day.

Police have now identified the dead men as Russell Dixon, 29, from Abingdon, in Oxfordshire, and Carl Mason, 58, from Ayr.

The plane was painted in British Airways livery

They issued a mayday call minutes before crashing 100 metres from the shoreline near Granton harbour.

Police said the twin-engined, 20-seater plane was on a charter flight to Belfast and was carrying no passengers.

It is thought the plane may have suffered a double engine failure and the wreckage is said to be embedded in riverbed mud.

No attempt to salvage the wreckage is expected to be made on Wednesday, although three major sections of the plane have been exposed by the receding tide.

The plane was on a regular night flight with mail when it got into difficulties.

Rescue efforts

Royal Mail has said the 1600kg of post on board comprised of 26,000 items. A number of mail bags have now been recovered.

At the height of the rescue operation which included helicopters and lifeboats, more than 100 people were involved.

Weather conditions were hazardous with a strong, bitterly cold wind whipping up waves in the Forth.

Chris Charalambous, manager of a nearby hotel, said: "At around 5.25pm a gentleman working at the front of the hotel came into the reception and reported that a plane had crashed into the sea.

"I went down to the scene. You could see the tail of the plane floating on the top of the water and some luggage."

Co-operation

He added: "You could smell the aviation fuel - it was pretty strong."

Michael Mulford, a spokesman for the RAF which co-ordinated the search, said the plane made either a forced or a controlled landing after the crew sent the mayday message.

A Loganair spokesman said the plane was painted in the colours of British Airways under a franchise agreement between the two carriers.

He said: "But as a charter service, this flight was not operated in conjunction with BA. BA is nonetheless offering every assistance to Loganair."

Loganair, a privately-owned company with a fleet of 14 aircraft serving 25 destinations in Scotland, said it would co-operate fully with investigators.