“The British Coast Guard has launched an operation supported by French aircraft and vessels, including the Abeille-Languedoc (Languedoc Bee) tug, which has been chartered by the French Navy,” he added. A spokesman for France’s Maritime Prefecture said the wide-ranging search was suspended on Saturday night and would continue in broad daylight on Sunday. Flight records show that the Piper PA-28R-200 Cherokee Arrow II departed from Wellesbourne at 7.56 on Saturday morning and appeared to be coming off the radar over the Channel at 9.02 am. The search involved a French Navy Falcon 50 jet and a Dauphin helicopter. Ships in the English Channel were also notified of the disappearance, but by nightfall there were no signs from the plane or wreckage. “The search continued throughout the afternoon, without being able to locate any wreckage or aircraft wreckage,” said a spokesman for the prefecture. Those traveling by small aircraft such as the Piper PA-28 are usually equipped with life jackets and life rafts. The plane was built in 1976 and has four seats. It has been produced since 1960 and various models have been involved in many high profile accidents at that time. In August 1972, Queen William of Gloucester, the Queen’s cousin, was killed along with his co-pilot in a Piper Cherokee Arrow after crashing off the Halfpenny Green near Wolverhampton during an air raid.
