Doomed pilot saved lives as he missed M1
A HERO pilot saved dozens of lives by steering his aircraft away from a motorway before it crashed killing both him and his passenger.
The wreckage of the aircraft after it nosedived into the ground
Father-of-two John Gill, 70, and passenger Robert Alan Eaves, 76, died on June 14 last year after their aircraft suffered a power loss, an inquest heard.
A car’s dashboard camera caught the Cessna F150L making a sharp turn before it crashed away from junction 26 of the M1, near Hucknall, Notts.
Pilot John Gill, who steered his aircraft away from the M1
Nottinghamshire Coroner Mairin Casey said: “It may well be that, familiar with this area, there was a choice made to minimise the risk to others by diverting course from the direction of the motorway. That shows...a great deal of selflessnes.”
The coroner passed a verdict of accidental death.