A post-mortem examination was carried out on earlier this week
A PILOT who tragically died after a small private plane crashed into a beauty spot has been named for the first time.
Peter Beeson, 66, of Bishop’s Stortford, died when his Beagle B121 Pup aircraft crashed into the reservoir near Chelmsford, Essex, last month.
The privately-owned plane was scheduled to fly to Southend Airport before the tragedy on December 28.
The plane had left North Weald Airfield just before midday just days after Christmas before crashing at Hanningfield Reservoir between Chelmsford and Billericay
Peter was believed to be the sole occupant of the aircraft before it plummeted into the water.
The investigation has not identified any suspicious circumstances, said cops.
Police said a post-mortem examination was carried out on Wednesday.
Detective Inspector Lydia George, who leads the Essex Police investigation said: “Our thoughts remain with family and friends, and I offer my condolences.
“At the end of last year, we were involved in an extensive search alongside our emergency services partners, the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) and other specialists following notification of a plane crash near Chelmsford.
“Sadly, that search resulted in divers from the Metropolitan Police Service recovering the body of Mr Beeson.
“I’d like to thank all our partners who assisted in the search and recovery and specialists from across multiple agencies, including Essex and Suffolk Water.”
Cops will continue to prepare a file for the coroner.
It is believed cops found a note at his home suggesting he intended to take his own life.
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Flightradar24 at the time showed a Beagle B121 Pup aircraft, manufactured in 1970, did not land at its intended destination and its journey instead ended near the middle of the reservoir at 2.03pm.
Data suggests the three-seater aircraft lost around 1,800 feet (548 metres) of altitude in seconds and the final tracking signal was received at 2.55pm, the flight tracker said.
It was on sale with Plane Trading Ltd at the time and a staff member at the company, who asked not to be named, told the Press Association the aircraft was “in lovely condition and well maintained”.
Its total flight time was one hour and 23 minutes, data suggests.
