Pilot of crash plane 'over limit'

John Smith was five times over the alcohol limit for flying

The pilot and co-pilot of a fatal light aircraft crash near Oban had significant levels of alcohol in their blood, an official report has revealed.

John Smith, an Essex councillor, his wife Angela, and their 25-year-old daughter Jaqueline, were killed in the crash in April last year.

Mr Smith was piloting the plane while his daughter was acting as co-pilot.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said instrument failure and poor weather could also have contributed.

The privately-owned single engine Piper Cherokee crashed shortly after taking off from Oban's North Connel airfield on Easter Monday last year.

Poor visibility

The family had been returning home to Essex.

The wreckage of the light aircraft was found the next day on a hillside nine miles away.

The AAIB report said a pre-flight vacuum pump failure would have knocked out a crucial flight instrument.

Mr Smith was also five times over the alcohol limit for flying, while his daughter was twice the limit.

They had been seen drinking at a local restaurant the night before.

Neither was qualified to fly in conditions of poor visibility which, the investigators say, might have helped them cope with the bad weather they experienced.