Snow caused plane crash

Both the pilot and co-pilot were killed in the crash

A sheriff has concluded that a plane which crashed into the Firth of Forth had a build-up of slush in its engines causing them to fail just after take-off.

The pilot Carl Mason, 58, from Ayr and co-pilot Russell Dixon, 29, from Abingdon, Oxfordshire were killed in the accident in February 2001.

The sheriff's fatal accident inquiry findings support a report by the Air Accident Investigation Branch released in April that said the crash was caused by a build-up of snow in the Shorts 360's engines.

The inquiry, which ended last week, heard evidence that recommended protective covers had not been fitted to the aircraft's engine air intakes when it was parked for several hours in bad weather at Edinburgh airport.

The plane, which was carrying mail, had been grounded overnight because of bad weather.

Sheriff James Farrell's findings, published on Wednesday, will now be studied by the plane's operators, Loganair, and other organisations including the British Airline Pilots' Association.