A former RAF wing commander who ran operations at Kabul airport during the Afghan war was among three Britons killed in a Dubai plane crash.
The UK-registered light aircraft came down on Thursday evening after a reported technical malfunction, killing the pilot, co-pilot and two passengers. The other victim was South African.
Pilot David Phillips, 52, who spent more than 20 years in the RAF, was head of airfield support and operational services at the airport in Afghanistan between September 2000 and December 2002. He “established and maintained operational capability in hostile conditions at Kabul airport” and also ensured “safety-critical aerodrome capability in direct support of royal and VVIP operations at RAF Northolt”.
Another of his roles was as a military air traffic controller and he also acted as a commander of the air cadets.
A spokesman for the RAF said: “The RAF and RAF Air Cadets are hugely saddened by the death of Mr David Phillips, our thoughts go out to his family and friends at this difficult time.”
After leaving the air force Mr Phillips worked for consultancy GMR, as well as for Flight Calibration Services Ltd, based in Shoreham, West Sussex, which owned the crashed plane.
He was on board to test navigation systems at Dubai international airport, which is undergoing work, officials said. The company announced in November that it had signed a contract to work on the airport’s “navaids”, the beacons around the runways. Its Diamond DA42 plane crashed about three miles from the world’s busiest international hub.
The United Arab Emirates general civil aviation authority said it would “investigate the accident to establish its causes”, adding that it “extends its sincere condolences” to victims’ families.
Family, friends and colleagues have paid tribute to Mr Phillips, a member of the Royal Aeronautical Society from High Wycombe, calling him a “true officer and a gentleman” and offering condolences to his wife, Eileen.
His niece, Megan Phillips, said she had “lost one of the most important people in my life, my uncle David”. She added: “You were the closest thing I had to a father and I am so grateful for that.”
One friend wrote online: “Dave was a good friend and an utter gentleman. He was a very popular guy and very well thought of in aviation, both as an air traffic controller and a commercial pilot.”
Another said: “He was by far the best commanding officer I had during my 37-year RAF career, a real hands-on guy.”
US aerospace firm Honeywell said it had hired Flight Calibration Services and the DA42 for work in Dubai. It said it was “deeply saddened” by the crash.
Flight Calibration Services declined to comment.
