Air crash bodies removed from wreck

8:04am Tuesday 1st April 2008

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THE BODIES of five men killed when their jet crashed into houses in Farnborough were removed from the wreckage yesterday.

All five were taken to the mortuary at the nearby Princess Royal University Hospital, for post-mortem examination.

And most residents of Romsey Close on the Broadwater Gardens estate, where the private jet went down at 2.40pm on Sunday, have been allowed back into their homes.

All except the families living at numbers four and five - which are part of the crash scene currently being investigated.

Biggin Hill Airport has paid tribute to pilot and flight captain Mike Roberts - one of two crew members who died.

In a statement a spokesman for the airport said: "Mike Roberts, the captain, was a very experienced commercial pilot and a friend of many of us on the airport.

"His cool judgment in managing the aircraft emergency and minimising loss of life on the ground is typical of such a remarkable man and he will be sorely missed."

Mr Roberts's business partner of 15 years, Mike Wells, said that his friend was an extremely experienced commercial pilot and a remarkable man.

Mr Wells said: "I have known Michael for 20 years and know that he would have done everything in his power to minimise the effects of this tragic incident on his colleagues, passengers and people on the ground.

"He will be missed by everyone in the flying community at Biggin Hill and by his many friends worldwide."

Co-pilot Michael Chapman, 57, was also killed.

Among the passengers were two men well known in the world of motorsport.

Racing driver David Leslie, 54, from Dumfries in Scotland, had competed in every racing championship outside of Formula 1.

He had won many titles in a career spanning almost 40 years and was the leader of Jaguar's racing team.

Richard Lloyd, the head of the newly launched Jaguar racing team, was also killed in the crash.

The third passenger on board the business flight to Pau in France was 25-year-old Christopher Allarton.

Today and tomorrow air accident investigation teams will continue their search for clues among the debris to establish what caused the accident, before removing wreckage to Farnborough in Hampshire for further investigation.

Investigators said that no 'black box' flight recorders were fitted on the jet because they are not required on planes registered in a private capacity.