Island plane crash victims named

Martin Rhodes was an experienced pilot who ran a car repair business

A father and his teenage son were among four people killed when a light aircraft crashed into a field after take-off on the Isle of Wight.

Pilot Martin Rhodes, 48, of Sneyd Green, Stoke-on-Trent, and Simon John Marshall, 51, of Lichfield, Staffordshire, were both killed.

Tony Birch, 52, and his 15-year-old son Ryan, from Pattingham, Wolverhampton, also died in the crash.

The plane was leaving the airport at Sandown on Sunday when it crashed.

Mr Rhodes' partner, Kerry Raftery, said she and their two sons were heartbroken.

She said: "Martin loved to fly and spent as much time at the controls of his planes as possible.

"He worked incredibly hard to build up the car repair business he set up when he was just 19 years old and had even built two airplanes in his spare time.

"We have two sons, aged 10 and 23, and it is difficult to describe the emotions we are all feeling.

"Our family and friends are helping us to be strong but underneath we are all heartbroken."

Wreckage of the plane is being examined by investigators

The Piper Cherokee had flown from Tatenhill Airfield in Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, in the morning.

It was leaving the Isle of Wight Airport bound for Pontivy Airfield in Brittany, France, when it came down near Canteen Road, Apse Heath.

A Hampshire police spokeswoman said: "Shortly after the plane had taken off from Sandown, it appears to have experienced difficulties and subsequently crashed in a field close to the runway.

"The cause of the crash remains unknown at this stage."

Wreckage from the crash is being salvaged by investigators from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB).

No black box

A spokesman for the Department for Transport (DfT) said the remains of the plane would be taken to the AAIB's headquarters in Farnborough, Hampshire.

He said two investigators - an engineer and an expert in flying and operating aircraft - were carrying out the inquiry.

He added: "We are not in a position to speculate about the cause of the accident.

"Our investigators will want to look at the wreckage and bring it back to our headquarters where they will piece it back together.

"They will also be looking at the aircraft and pilot's log, flight plan and air traffic control records as well as any eye witness statements."

The spokesman added that this type of plane would not have a black box recorder, which larger aircraft are fitted with to record its communications and movements.

He said the inquiry would take about two months to complete.