Search for British pilot after Channel plane crash A cross-Channel search and rescue operation has been launched involving both English and French teams, including a French helicopter and the Dungeness RNLI lifeboat. The alarm was raised after the single-engine light aircraft, which was heading from London to Le Touquet, was overdue, a spokesman for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said. The incident happened four miles inside UK waters and is being co-ordinated by the British with help from the French authorities. An MCA spokesman said: "We had reports that an aircraft was overdue. It was heading from London to Le Touquet. It was an American-registered aircraft with one person on board. The search has been involving a French helicopter and it has been searching for two hours. That will have to return shortly and that will be replaced by a search and rescue helicopter from RAF Wattisham in Suffolk. The Dungeness lifeboat is en route and we believe the Calais lifeboat is also involved. The search is ongoing at the moment to find the pilot. We still have about six hours of daylight left.