Parachute propellant missing after aircraft crash

Police are searching for part of the parachute system from a light aircraft which crashed on to farmland in Greater Manchester killing two people.

The small Cirrus SR 20 plane came down close to the M62 in Littleborough, near Rochdale, on Tuesday.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said the red device, which contains the propellant, weighs less than 2kg (4.4 lb), and has not yet been found due to "the nature of the terrain, and the wide area over which it may have travelled".

The force appealed to anyone who finds it not to handle it, and contact police immediately.

Officers said the missing propellant, which helps deploy the parachute canopy, may have a silver metal collar attached at one end.

The aircraft had taken off from the XLR Executive Jet Centre - which specialises in serving VIP clients - at Birmingham Airport.

Investigations are continuing into the crash, with Air Accidents Investigation Branch attending the crash scene.

A GMP spokesperson said emergency services had recovered the bodies of two men.

No-one else was believed to have been on board the aircraft, and there were no reported injuries on the ground.

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