Fathers and sons die in aircraft crash

Stephen Aspden, aged 45, and his 12-year-old son Jack were killed instantly when a light aircraft being flown by a family friend careered out of control on a runway at New Garden Airport, near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Mr Aspden, of Unsworth, Bury, was visiting the British friends in New Garden with Jack, his wife Alison and daughter Charlotte, aged 10.

Mr Aspden was a teacher at a Rochdale secondary school. Mrs Aspden and Charlotte have flown back to Britain and are believed to be staying with her parents in Lostock.

Mr Aspden was a teacher at a Rochdale secondary school.

The family travelled to the United States on July 21 to spend a holiday with Garry Megson and his family, US police said.

Mr Megson, who was flying the plane, and his son Peter, aged eight, were also killed.

Mr Megson's wife Yvonne and their daughter Katie have returned to the family home in Prestwich, near Bury, but are expected to return to America later. The Megsons had moved to the US because of Mr Megson's work.

The Aspdens and Megsons had been friends for years.

The foursome had rented the single-engined Piper Warrior from the New Garden Airport in Chester County on Sunday afternoon when the crash happened.

Police said Mr Megson was attempting a tricky manoeuvre, called a touch and go landing.

The move involves coming into land and, once the wheels have touched the runway, the plane takes off again.

But the move went tragically wrong and the aircraft failed to regain height, veering off the runway clipping another plane's wing, hitting several cars and a hangar before bursting into flames.

The aircraft, built in 1977, was owned by the New Garden Aviation Inc.

Mr Megson was believed to have been an experienced pilot who had been flying for about 20 years.

He lived in New Garden and was employed by AstraZeneca, a pharmaceutical company, in Wilmington, Delaware, as a manager in the global brands division.

His boss, Geoff Birkett, AstraZeneca's vice-president of marketing, said: "He was just a great guy. He was passionate about his work and he was passionate about his hobbies."

Mr Megson had been working for AstraZeneca in the US for about 11 months and was scheduled to stay for another year. He had been flying in America for several months.

"He was just one of those guys who was full of life," said Birkett. "We are just really going to miss him."

A neighbour in New Garden, Christine Troy, aged 39, said it was "just so sad" that the crash occurred.

"He was the greatest guy. His son was just wonderful," said Mrs Troy.

Mrs Troy said she spoke to Mrs Megson and her daughter on Monday.

"His daughter is just beside herself," she said.

Mr Megson's son was a second-grade student at the New Garden Elementary School.

The US National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the accident.

A preliminary report will be available in two weeks, but it will be a year before a full picture of the crash is complete, said lead investigator Paul Cox.

Lieutenant Kevin McCarthy, of the New Garden Police Department, said 38-year-old Mr Megson and his passengers had stood little chance of survival.

"He was practising touch-and-go landings and for some reason he veered off the runway to the left and went across a grass area and struck a plane wing," he said.

"That sent him right into the hangar where the plane caught fire. The only thing really left of the plane was the wing. They never had a chance."

Despite their grief, the surviving Megsons were "in pretty good shape", Mr McCarthy said.

Mrs Megson has already spoken to police.

"She told me that he had actually started flying before he was driving," Mr McCarthy said, adding that Mr Megson had more than 20 years flying experience.

The weather at the time was a little overcast but should not have interfered with flying conditions, the officer said. He added that the airfield had a good safety record.

Following the accident it was business at the New Garden Aviation airport as planes landed and took off and people arrived and paid for their flying lessons.

Across from the runway, all that could be seen of the crash site was the blackened front of the hangar and airport employees were still working to clean up the charred debris.

Bill Wheatly, service manager at the airport, said: "We don't know what happened. We are hoping to get some answers but that could take several months."

On Sunday, Mr Wheatly witnessed the plane on the runway before the deadly crash that occurred around 4:30 p.m.

Mr Wheatly, who lives on the airport grounds, said he was standing near his home when he saw the plane. He turned his head away and he heard a "power change," which could have been an acceleration or deceleration, he said.

He then heard the plane make an impact near the hangar and he raced to the scene, he said.

"I got in my car and raced down here to see what I could do. But there was nothing that could be done at that point."

The impact caused a fire severely damaging one side of the hangar and destroying several cars.

Mr Wheatly said as the plane left the runway it narrowly missed four fuel pumps before it hit the hangar.

A FATHER and son have been killed in a plane crash in America which claimed four lives.

Stephen Aspden, aged 45, and his 12-year-old son Jack were killed instantly when a light aircraft being flown by a family friend careered out of control on a runway at New Garden Airport, near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Mr Aspden, of Unsworth, Bury, was visiting the British friends in New Garden with Jack, his wife Alison and daughter Charlotte, aged 10.

Mr Aspden was a teacher at a Rochdale secondary school. Mrs Aspden and Charlotte have flown back to Britain and are believed to be staying with her parents in Lostock.