David Last missing: Police bring in underwater search teams to look for pilot off Welsh coast

Professor David Last was last seen on Monday
PA
Ellena Cruse27 November 2019

Police drivers have joined the search for a pilot who is missing after his plane disappeared off the coast of Wales.

David Last, a former Bangor University professor who was an experienced pilot, has not been seen since his small plane disappeared from radar off the coast of north Wales on Monday afternoon.

Police confirmed they had called off a search yesterday due to bad weather conditions but have now resumed the effort.

North Wales Police Chief Inspector Essi Ahari confirmed that an underwater team is now exploring the water while officers and the Air Accident Investigation Branch are continuing to search for the missing plane, and pilot off Penmon, Anglesey.

HM Coastguard said it was co-ordinating a search in the Puffin Island area near Anglesey
NWP Anglesey/Facebook/PA Wire

"Specialist officers from our Underwater Search Team are currently carrying out a detailed search of the area, and the family of Professor Last continue to be supported by Family Liaison Officers," he said.

A statement from his family said that 79-year-old Mr Last was a consultant engineer and expert witness specialising in radio-navigation and communications systems.

It read: “He was a Professor Emeritus at the University of Bangor, past-president of the Royal Institute of Navigation and a respected figure in the world-wide navigation community.

An underwater search is taking place
NWP Anglesey/Facebook/PA Wire

“He was an experienced, instrument-rated pilot. Most importantly to us, he was head of the family: a much-loved father, husband, brother, grandfather, uncle and friend, and we are all heartbroken.

“We would appreciate respect for our privacy during this difficult time.”

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in