User:CLWE/Workshop/Mountains crash

The 2008 Piper PA 28 plane crash occurred in the Wicklow Mountains, Ireland on 25 October 2008. There were no survivors among the four people on board. The dead were all British nationals. The plane was piloted by property developer Sharif Booz from Church View in Almondsbury, England. He was accompanied by his wife, the couple's teenage son and the son's 14 year-old male friend. The four bodies were recovered from the wreckage on 26 October 2008 and taken by air to Naas General Hospital, County Kildare for post mortem examinations.

Search and recovery
A hill-walker reported hearing the sound of an aircraft in difficulty. The search for the plane's wreckage commenced at first light on 26 October 2008 and had been discovered by 11:02 that morning. The plane's nose was embedded in the ground near Corriebrock mountain, County Wicklow and the aircraft had to be dug out. Rescuers were forced to use cutting equipment to gain access, a factor that delayed the search effort. The first body had been discovered by 14:38 on 26 October 2008. It was located at the rear of the plane but gardaí refused to give any detail in relation to gender or age.

Disappearance
The single engine aircraft departed from Gloucestershire Airport, Staverton in Gloucester, England shortly before 10:00 on 25 October 2008. It was bound for Kilrush airfield in County Kildare. The last radar sighting of the plane was taken at 12:30 above the Poulaphouca Reservoir over the Wicklow mountains, about 20 miles from its destination. The alarm was raised later that evening when a relative Mrs Booz alerted the authorities about the plane's failure to arrive.

Examination and inquest
On 27 October, an Irish Army helicopter lifted the Piper PA-28 from Church Mountain, at Corriebracks, near Hollywood and transported it to the Government of Ireland's Department of Transport Air Accident Investigation Unit at Gormanstown, County Meath. Investigators began examining the aircraft on 28 October 2008. An inquest into the incident was opened and adjourned on 30 October 2008. Results of the investigation into the aircraft's descent are expected in months.

Victims
Sharif Booz was a UK born male of Middle Eastern (Egyptian) descent in his mid-40s. He was said to have had at least seven years of flight experience, flying to Ireland at least twice a year. His wife, Margaret O'Kennedy Booz, was originally from Newbridge, County Kildare and the family were regular visitors to the home of their relatives. Also to die were the couple's 14-year-old son Aymon and his friend Charlie Froud, also 14. Ian Valentine, the operator of Kilrush airfield, claimed that Booz had been using his air strip for a period of six or seven years. A neighbour suggested Booz was a regular flyer. Post-mortem examinations were carried out at Naas General Hospital on 27 October. A memorial service in St Mary’s Church, Almondsbury, was attended by over 500 mourners on 27 October and the funerals for the family members took place on 31 October in Almondsbury.