Human remains in North Sea plane wreckage may be missing German pilot

A body discovered within the wreckage of a light aircraft retrieved from the North Sea may be that of a German pilot who vanished over a year ago. The Cessna 172 was located off Shetland on Friday afternoon and transported to shore by a fishing vessel on Sunday. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) confirmed the wreckage belonged to an aircraft that disappeared between Shetland and Norway in September of the previous year. Police Scotland stated its current efforts are focused on verifying the identity of human remains found inside the plane. This single-engine, four-seater aircraft had departed from Uutersen Airport in Heist, Germany, with one person on board at approximately 10:30 on 30 September, 2023. A report from German investigators Bundesstelle für Flugunfalluntersuchung (BFU), published in April, indicated that the 62-year-old pilot had declared his intention to fly south to visit relatives in Bayreuth. However, immediately after takeoff, he proceeded in a northwesterly direction. The report also noted that he had requested an aircraft equipped with autopilot and had informed his wife that morning that she would not be able to accompany him as planned. There was no radio contact from the pilot, and the aircraft vanished from radar screens approximately 80 miles (128km) off Shetland, just over six hours after its departure. A search and rescue operation involving a Coastguard plane failed to find any trace of the Cessna at that time. Nevertheless, on Friday, wreckage was brought to the surface, entangled in the nets of the Peterhead-registered trawler Benarkle II. It was transported ashore at Lerwick on Sunday, and police confirmed that human remains had been discovered. The AAIB stated its involvement in assisting inquiries conducted by Police Scotland and the German authorities. A spokesperson said: “We were informed that the remains of a German-registered Cessna 172, which was lost in the North Sea in September 2023, had been recovered by a fishing vessel on 6 December and brought to shore in Shetland on Sunday.” The AAIB is supporting Police Scotland and working with the BFU to assist their safety investigation. Chief Inspector Chris Sewell from Police Scotland indicated that formal identification of the remains has not yet occurred. He stated: “Today, local officers supported by specialist resources have been in contact with the Air Accidents Investigation Branch and the German authorities to investigate the circumstances of this incident.” Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.