Tragic Littleborough aircraft crash pilot was days away from ‘thrilling new chapter’
Pilot Arian Abbasi, 36, from Harrow died in a light aircraft crash on moorland near Littleborough with a second man, just days before he was due to start as a commercial airline pilot
Arian Abbasi, 36 was one of two men who died(Image: GMP)
Tributes have been paid to a pilot tragically killed in a devastating plane crash. Arian Abbasi, 36 was one of two men who died when a light aircraft crashed in Littleborough, Rochdale.
His heartbroken family revealed that flying was his ‘passion’ and he was just days away from embarking on ‘an exciting new chapter’ in his life as a commercial airline pilot.
Mr Abbasi, a father from Harrow in London, and another man who remains unnamed were sadly killed when the Cirrus SR20 light aircraft they were in crashed to the ground.
A parachute spotted tangled in an electricity pylon near the crash site is believed to be part of the automatic emergency features of the light aircraft.
There were no other passengers on board and no reported injuries on the ground, according to Greater Manchester Police (GMP).
Authorities said the plane came down on farmland between Blackstone Edge and Hollingworth Lake, near Littleborough in Rochdale, with emergency services first alerted to the incident at around 11am, reports the Manchester Evening News.
In a touching tribute, Mr Abbasi’s family described him as “a deeply loving father and a devoted husband.”
They added: “He lived his life for his family and friends, giving them his constant love, strength, and support. Flying was his passion, and he was on the brink of beginning an exciting new chapter with a commercial airline on February 23; a dream he had worked toward with immense pride and determination.”
FlightRadar24, a flight tracking website, reported that the Cirrus aircraft departed from Birmingham Airport just before 10am, flying for approximately 40 minutes before the last signal was received just south of the M62 motorway near Marsden, West Yorkshire. A spokesperson for Birmingham Airport confirmed that a private light aircraft had taken off from its XLR Executive Jet Centre.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has launched an investigation into the crash.
Cirrus Aircraft models are equipped with a standard ballistic recovery system known as the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS). This system is activated in emergency situations to deploy a parachute and lower the aircraft safely to the ground.
This safety feature is standard on all Cirrus SR20 aircraft.
The plane was operated by Daedalus Aviation, a company based at Birmingham Airport that offers pilot training. It’s understood that both men regularly flew out of Wolverhampton Halfpenny Green Airport, a former RAF training base which is now an aviation hub.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) stated on Friday: “As investigations continue, officers are searching for part of the parachute system which contains propellant and has not yet been located.”
They added: “The nature of the terrain, and the wide area over which it may have travelled, has made finding the device very difficult.
“The device measures approximately 10 cm in diameter and 30 cm long and has a red anodised finish. It weighs less than 2 kg. It may have a silver metal collar attached at one end.
“Please do not handle the device if you see it. If discovered, contact the police immediately via 101 or our Live Chat at gmp.police.uk, quoting log 1056 of 03/02/26.”
