THE FAMILY of a man killed in a light aircraft crash have paid tribute to a “deeply loving father and devoted husband.”
Arian Abbasi, 36, was tragically pronounced dead at the scene after a small plane carrying him and another man crashed in Littleborough, Rochdale, on Tuesday.
Both Arian and the other man were sadly pronounced dead at the scene after a massive emergency response scrambled to respond.
Arian’s family have now paid heartfelt tribute to the pilot, from Harrow in Greater London.
They described him as a “deeply loving father and a devoted husband.”
The grieving family went on to say: “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 23 February; a dream he had worked toward with immense pride and determination.”
It is not believed there was anyone else on board the aircraft when it fell from the sky, and there are no reported injuries on the ground.
The small plane had taken off earlier that morning from Birmingham, police said.
The Air Accident Investigations Branch scrambled inspectors to the scene shortly after the crash with an investigation ongoing.
A witness told BBC Radio Manchester that a parachute appeared to have been deployed as the plane went down.
Stephanie Mills told the radio station that she saw a large yellow parachute caught up in a nearby pylon at the crash site.
An investigation into the crash continues with officers searching for part of the parachute system which contains propellant and has not yet been located.
The device measures approximately 10 cm in diameter and 30 cm long and has a red anodised finish, it weighs less than 2kg.
It may have a silver metal collar attached at one end, cops said.
Greater Manchester Police has urged the public to avoid handling the missing device if they discover it.
The force said: “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.”
The type of aircraft involved in the crash remains unclear but initial reports suggest it was a Cirrus SR 20 – a small propeller plane understood to have an onboard parachute.
The propeller plane is believed to have started to lose altitude over Littleborough before crashing on farmland between Blastone Edge and Hollingworth Lake.
Several incident response units and helicopters were scrambled to the scene earlier with National Grid staff also on scene to support the emergency services.
The AAIB previously said: “An accident involving a light aircraft which occurred today near Rochdale, Greater Manchester has been notified to the AAIB.
“An investigation has been launched and a multidisciplinary team of inspectors are on their way to the accident site.”
