Arian Abbasi, 36, a pilot from London, and his passenger, 39-year-old interior designer Mustafa Qays Obadey, died when their Cirrus SR20 came down near Blackstone Edge on February 3
Arian Abbasi died in a light aircraft crash after taking off from Birmingham Airport(Image: GREATER MANCHESTER POLICE)
An inquest has been launched into the deaths of two ‘deeply loved’ family men who were killed when a plane crashed after departing from Birmingham Airport.
Arian Abbasi, 36, a pilot from London, and his passenger, 39 year old interior designer Mustafa Qays Obadey, lost their lives when their Cirrus SR20 crashed near Blackstone Edge on February 3, according to the Manchester Evening News.
The inquest into their deaths began yesterday, Monday, February 16, as detectives confirmed that key parts of the aircraft’s ballistic parachute had been found following a public appeal.
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Rochdale Coroners’ Court heard from officials that no cause of death had yet been determined, with both Greater Manchester Police and the Air Accidents Investigation Branch continuing detailed investigations into the final moments of the flight.
Describing the men, assistant coroner Michael Salt was informed by police coroner’s officer Megan Seddon that Mr Abbasi was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 1989, and lived in Harrow, London, with his wife, working as a pilot, reports Birmingham Live.
“There is clearly a need for an inquest,” Mr Salt told the court. No date was set for a full inquest, but a date was scheduled for a pre-inquest review hearing for Mr Abbasi on June 8, 2026.
Mustafa Qays Obadey died in the plane crash near Rochdale(Image: GMP)
It was later discovered that Mr Obadey was born in Baghdad, Iraq, in 1986, and resided in Greenford, west London. He was believed to have been single and self-employed as an interior designer at the time of his death.
Mr Obadey was a passenger in a light aircraft piloted by Mr Abbasi that had ‘come down on the moorland above Whittaker Lane’, in Littleborough, Rochdale.
A pre-inquest review hearing has been scheduled for July 6 2026, for Mr Obadey. Both men were identified through their fingerprints, which were matched against existing records in the national database.
Greater Manchester Police described Mr Obadey as ‘the glue of the family and community’.
“[He was] the most humble, kind man you’ll ever meet,” the service said. “A man made of peace. The glue of the family and community. Always available and accepting of everyone. Thank you, Mustafa.”
Mr Abbasi’s family paid tribute to him as a ‘deeply loving father and a devoted husband’.
“He lived his life for his family and friends, giving them his constant love, strength, and support,” they said in a statement. “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.”
According to flight tracking website FlightRadar24, the Cirrus aircraft departed from Birmingham shortly before 10am, flying for approximately 40 minutes before the final signal was picked up just south of the M62 motorway near Marsden, West Yorkshire.
Both men are believed to have been regular flyers from Wolverhampton Halfpenny Green Airport, a former RAF training base which now operates as an aviation hub. A significant police presence was set up at the crash site, with photos seemingly displaying a yellow parachute entangled on a nearby pylon.
Officers confirmed they were examining the deployment of the parachute as part of their investigation into the deadly incident.
GMP appealed to the public for assistance in finding the part of the parachute containing propellant. A member of the public later discovered it on the moor and handed it over to the police.
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