Isle of Man headland reopens to public after fatal aircraft crash

The area at Bradda Head was closed to the public for four days

Bradda Head has been reopened to the public following a fatal light aircraft crash, police have said.

The Isle of Man Constabulary confirmed the body of the pilot, who was believed to be the only person on board, had been recovered from scene in Port Erin.

A police spokeswoman said a multi-agency search operation, which had been ongoing since Monday, had concluded.

She said no more information would be released yet as the investigation continued on behalf of the coroner.

The four-day search operation also included members of the fire service, coastguard, RNLI, civil defence, the harbours division diving team, Civil Aviation Authority and officers from the Air Accident Investigation Branch.

Accessibility

Det Insp Neil Craig said, given the location of the crash, the search had been an "extremely challenging one for everyone involved".

He said: "Collectively, we have been able to recover a substantial amount of material from the site, however several small fragments of the aircraft have been unable to be recovered simply due to the challenging and inaccessible location in which they came to rest.

"We are seeking to attempt to recover these small items in the coming weeks, as and when they displace to areas which prove to be more accessible.

"We are however content at this time that these small pieces of debris pose no threat to the either the general public or the local wildlife."

Restrictions on the water and airspace surrounding the area came to an end at 23:00 BST on Thursday.