Report on aircraft crash released

The wreckage of the aircraft on Cairn Gorm

A probe into a light aircraft crash on Cairn Gorm has reported that the pilot was not qualified to fly in the conditions in which he found himself.

Gary Key, 45, who died in the accident, was trying to get from the UK to Florida when he crashed into the mountain in April 2008.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch said it had been snowing heavily.

It said the pilot had had some experience of poor conditions but did not have the relevant qualifications.

The AAIB also reported that the aircraft - a Piper Cherokee Lance - had not been cleared to fly in icy conditions.

It had been previously thought by rescue teams the aircraft was a Piper Saratoga.

Dead pilots

Witnesses on the ground said visibility was poor when the aircraft flew over.

At the time of the accident, an RAF spokesman said the weather had been horrendous.

Conditions were similar to those when rescue teams searched for the dead pilots of two US F-15C fighter jets which crashed in the Cairngorms in 2001.

Mr Key was attempting to fly from where he lived in Worcestershire, West Midlands, to Florida where he also owned a house.

He planned to take his aircraft up through Scotland then across the Atlantic via Iceland and then down the east coast of North America.

However, his plane crashed into Cairn Gorm near the funicular mountain railway.

The air accident report said that Mr Key's plane iced up and appeared to lose radio contact with air traffic control.

He tried to head for Aberdeen but was believed to have became disorientated.

The report ruled out mechanical problems, concluding instead that he was not experienced enough to cope with such bad weather which was also beyond the capabilities of the aircraft.