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'Missing plane part' found at Kent church | 'Missing plane part' found at Kent church |
(about 4 hours later) | |
An item thought to be a missing part of an Egypt-bound aircraft that had to turn back to Gatwick Airport has been found in the grounds of a Kent church. | An item thought to be a missing part of an Egypt-bound aircraft that had to turn back to Gatwick Airport has been found in the grounds of a Kent church. |
The object was spotted at All Saints Church in Langton Green near Tunbridge Wells on Saturday. | |
The Thomas Cook plane was over Belgium when a fault was reported on Friday and it turned back to West Sussex. | |
Kent Police said the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) had been notified about the find. | Kent Police said the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) had been notified about the find. |
A spokesman for the force said: "We had a call last night to Langton Green where someone thought they had found an item possibly from the plane." | A spokesman for the force said: "We had a call last night to Langton Green where someone thought they had found an item possibly from the plane." |
He said officers now had the object and the AAIB would collect and examine it to confirm whether it had come from the aircraft. | He said officers now had the object and the AAIB would collect and examine it to confirm whether it had come from the aircraft. |
The item was found in the church grounds and there was no suggestion it hit the building, he said. | The item was found in the church grounds and there was no suggestion it hit the building, he said. |
The vicar at the church, the Reverend Michael Gentry, said he found a piece of metal and it clearly was not from a car so he called the police. | |
He said the object was about 2ft (60cm) by 6in (15cm) and a U-shaped piece of aluminium with a couple of bolts on it, and covered with black dirt and soot on one side. | |
Thomas Cook said investigations were continuing and it could not comment on the item that was found. | |
Wing unit | Wing unit |
Passenger jet TCX1638 left Gatwick Airport on Friday morning bound for Hurghada with 237 passengers on board, but turned back when it emerged there was a fault with the plane. | Passenger jet TCX1638 left Gatwick Airport on Friday morning bound for Hurghada with 237 passengers on board, but turned back when it emerged there was a fault with the plane. |
Part of the aircraft - an over-wing slide unit - is believed to have fallen off near the Kent and East Sussex border. | |
The AAIB launched an inquiry and Thomas Cook also said it had begun a full investigation. | The AAIB launched an inquiry and Thomas Cook also said it had begun a full investigation. |
The airline said the plane landed safely back at Gatwick and passengers left later that day on a replacement aircraft. | The airline said the plane landed safely back at Gatwick and passengers left later that day on a replacement aircraft. |
Both the Kent and Sussex police forces carried out searches for the missing part on Friday afternoon but found nothing. | Both the Kent and Sussex police forces carried out searches for the missing part on Friday afternoon but found nothing. |