Air crash officials and police were last night investigating after two men who took off from a Highland airport died when their light aircraft plunged into the sea.
The pilot and his passenger left Oban Airport for the short hop to Carlisle – but never reached their destination.
Instead, hours after their expected arrival time, two bodies and wreckage from the plane were found floating in the sea between the Mull of Kintyre and Arran.
It is understood that the men were visitors to the Argyll area.
The small plane crashed two miles off the coast of Skipness at around 3.45pm on Thursday.
Police are appealing for information from any witnesses to the incident.
The men, who have not yet been named, were the only two occupants of the aircraft, which left Oban Airport, north Connel, at around 11.30am and failed at arrive at Carlisle as expected at 1pm.
An extensive search of the water was co-ordinated by the UK Coastguard, and involved Police Scotland, HM Coastguard search and rescue helicopter from Prestwick, along with Tarbert and Campbeltown Coastguard Rescue Teams and Arran Lifeboat.
A police spokeswoman said: “The bodies of two men and some wreckage from the aircraft were recovered in the sea near to Skipness, Argyll.
“inquiries are ongoing to establish the identities of the two men on board and post mortem examinations will be carried out in due course.
“Police Scotland is investigating to establish the full circumstances surrounding the crash. Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact DI Douglas Wilson at L Division CID via 101 and quote incident number 2167 of Thursday May 25.
“The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) is conducting an independent safety investigation.”
Roddy McCuish, depute provost of Argyll and Bute Council and an Oban-based councillor, said: “Our thoughts go out to the families affected by this tragic accident.
“I am sure there will be a full investigation and it would not be appropriate to make any further comment until that is concluded.”
A spokeswoman for the MCA said: “An extensive search was co-ordinated by the UK Coastguard off the coast of Skipness between the Mull of Kintyre and Arran, after an aircraft with two people on board was reported as overdue.
“Tarbert, Southend and Campbeltown Coastguard Rescue Teams, the UK Coastguard search and rescue helicopter based at Prestwick, Arran, Portpatrick and Tignabruich RNLI Lifeboats, alongside Police Scotland carried out the search until it was stood down just before 8pm.”
An Air Accidents Investigation Branch spokesman added: “The AAIB has sent a team to the Mull of Kintyre to investigate a light aircraft accident.”
The worst peacetime disaster to be suffered by the RAF occurred on the Mull of Kintyre in 1994. A Chinook helicopter crashed in thick foggy conditions killing all 25 passengers and four crew.
A GP and her husband died when their small plane crashed into a hillside near Oban in April 2015.
Dr Margaret-Ann Rous and David Rous were killed when their Piper Cherokee went down at Beinn nan Lus, near Taynuilt.
The couple were travelling from Dundee to Tiree to visit relatives.
Damage to the aircraft was so severe that accident investigators could not pinpoint the exact cause of the accident. They believed the pilot, Mr Rous, may have lost control while turning back in back weather.
In August last year a man and woman were seriously injured when their light aircraft crash landed in a field near Oban Airport.
The pilot and passenger went down at Benderloch on Lochnell Estate. They were part of a group of eight light aircraft from Germany on an annual tour of Scotland and had been flying from Glensforsa airfield on Mull to Oban.
