Cause of plane crash that killed two Britons ‘unexplained’
Simon Moores and David Hockings died in the crash in northern Spain in January.
The cause of a plane crash in northern Spain in which two British pilots died will remain unexplained, a coroner has concluded.
Simon Moores – who was the brother-in-law of Bake Off star Paul Hollywood – and David Hockings died in the crash in January.
Their plane hit a mountain in Errezil near the Spanish coast amid dense fog, Mr Moores’s inquest at Canterbury Magistrates’ Court heard on Wednesday.
Coroner Ian Goldup read evidence from Spanish witnesses, one of whom had been walking on Mount Hernio at the time and heard the impact.
Mr Moores, 62, from Kent, and Mr Hockings, from Sussex, had been flying from Cascais in Portugal to Hondarribia airport on January 9 when their light plane crashed.
He posted pictures during the flight on his Twitter account, looking down on the Spanish mountains.
The inquest was unable to establish why the British-registered Piper plane collided with Mount Hernio.
The coroner cited the “dense fog” that had covered the mountain on the day in question, but was unable to say why the plane went down.
Mr Goldup said: “We do not know whether there was an engine problem, whether it was mechanical.
“We do not know why the accident occurred.”
He said that despite the lack of clarity as to why the crash happened, the inquest was “probably the end” unless Mr Moores’s family decides to pursue civil action in Spain.
Mr Goldup returned a conclusion of “unascertained” death on Mr Moores.
An inquest into the death of Mr Hockings is being held separately.
