A search for the pilot of a microlight feared lost off the coast near Montrose has been scaled down.
As darkness fell on Tuesday night, so too did hopes of survival for the flyer after a full-scale emergency response failed to find any trace of him or the machine which reportedly plummeted into the North Sea hours earlier.
Montrose lifeboat and the coastguard resumed the search at first light this morning, but again found no trace.
A businessman gave a dramatic account of seeing the microlight rapidly lose height just a few hundred yards from shore, then disappear without trace in the short time it took him to alert the emergency services.
David Pullar’s 999 call from Usan Salmon Fisheries, around two miles south of the Angus town, sparked a major turnout involving the coastguard, Montrose RNLI and the police, as well as a search and rescue helicopter from RAF Lossiemouth.
The alert was raised around 3.40pm when Mr Pullar saw the light aircraft heading north along the Angus coast.
”It was around 300 yards off the coast and was losing height rapidly,” he said. ”It was probably around 100 feet in the air when I saw it. It didn’t go down like a stone it seemed to be a controlled descent, but very rapid.
”He just seemed to hit the water and then disappeared very quickly. I phoned the coastguard very quickly but by the time I did that there was no sight of him.”
Mr Pullar said conditions at the time were good on what was a cold but bright Angus afternoon, but there was a swell on the sea. He estimated the point of impact just north east of Long Craig, a rocky outcrop close to the fishery firm’s base.
From his own extensive knowledge of the area, Mr Pullar believes the microlight would have come down in around 30-40 feet of water.
”There’s no buoyancy in these things so I would think he may have gone down fairly quickly,” he said. ”There is a microlight that flies about quite regularly, and quite often two together.”
The Montrose lifeboat Moonbeam and the station’s inshore lifeboat were scrambled to the scene. They were also joined by two of Usan Fisheries’ own lobster boats, piloted by Mr Pullar’s grandsons, and they remained part of the search effort until it was called off shortly after 6pm. Montrose and Arbroath coastguard teams were also closely involved in the operation, including an extensive search of the shore.
Coastguard sector officer Russell Moir said the Lossiemouth helicopter had arrived on scene around 4.30pm and searched an area of around two miles by six miles.
”The search was called off when it became dark and conditions can become dangerous,” Mr Moir said.
It was reported that a small oil slick had been found where the microlight was said to have gone down but that was not officially confirmed.
A Forth Coastguard spokesman said a decision would be taken early today on whether to resume the search.
”Nothing was found and the search was called off after darkness fell,” he said. ”The situation will be reassessed in the morning. Inquiries are continuing but there have been no reports of any microlights or anyone missing and nothing untoward found.
”We have had airfields checked and the RAF have made their own inquiries and nothing has been reported.”