Tributes are paid to microlight crash pilots

TRIBUTES were paid yesterday to two men who were killed when their microlight aircraft crashed into a mountain.

Dave Martin, of Kinghorn, Fife, and Alan McCaskie, of Broughty Ferry, Dundee were involved in the accident at the weekend.

Both were members of the Scottish Aero Club based at Perth Aerodrome in Scone and had been flying to Glen Forsa on the Isle of Mull with three other microlight aircraft.

Mr Martin, 63, who was piloting the craft, and his passenger, 62-year-old Mr McCaskie, never made it to the rendezvous point as they crashed into 3,851ft Ben More, near Crianlarich, just after midday on Saturday.

Mr McCaskie’s family issued a statement which read: “We are struggling to come to terms with the loss of such a wonderful man who was taken from us all too suddenly on Saturday, May 12.”

Dave McElroy, chairman of the Scottish Aero Club – Scotland’s oldest and largest flying club – said that its 250 members had been “devastated” by the deaths.

He said: “Dave and Alan were flying in one of four aircraft departing for the outing but something has clearly gone badly wrong. We got a call to say that a crashed microlight had been spotted on the mountain.

“Everyone was devastated. One of the groups flying stopped in Oban because they didn’t want to carry on, while the other two came back in shock.”

Stirling-based Central Scotland Police and the Civil Aviation Authority are carrying out an investigation into the crash.

Mr Martin was a retired health and safety officer and Mr McCaskie was an engineering consultant for an offshore oil company. Mr McElroy said: “Dave has been our club secretary for a number of years. We were extremely good friends and he was probably the most popular of all our members.

“Alan had been a member since last August and again he too was very popular. It’s so sad what’s happened.”