A LIGHT aircraft which ditched in Liverpool Bay at the weekend, killing the pilot and his wife, had been in a crash landing only weeks before.

The Piper Cherokee crashed in the sea two miles off the coast of Wirral on Sunday.

Martin and Nora Gardner, both 56, from Haydock, St Helens, died instantly.

But the Daily Post can reveal the same aircraft was given an emergency overhaul in May after it lost power in mid-air.

The aircraft was forced to perform an emergency landing in fields near the north Shropshire towns of Ellesmere and Whittington on May 17.

The joint owners of the plane, Paul Lodge, a Liverpool pilot with 30 years of experience and James McVay had been enjoying a flight between Liverpool John Lennon Airport and Sleap Airfield in Shropshire when the aircraft developed engine problems.

It was suspected the carburettor in the single-engine plane had frozen.

Mr Lodge said at the time: "We don't know what went wrong but realised we had to find somewhere to make a forced landing."

Engineers at Light Planes Lancashire Ltd based at Barton Aerodrome near Eccles, Greater Manchester, inspected the aircraft at the crash site and gave it the green light to fly again.

The aircraft then passed a further annual check up before the weekend's crash.

Martin Turner, director of Cheshire Air Training School, said: "The aircraft did have a landing. That particular landing was fully investigated mechanically.

"Light Planes Lancashire conducted an on-the-site check and it was found fit to fly.

"It then had an annual maintenance check and again found fit to fly.

"It was considered that the carburettor may have not been functioning as it should have been and they carried out remedial action.

"On the face of it it's unconnected with the most recent incident.

"We are working with the Air Accident Investigation Branch and I think the circumstances need to be looked into before commenting further."

The Daily Post last night contacted Light Planes Lancashire but they said they could not comment during an AAIB investigation.

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