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British pilot in Africa air rally is missing in Ethiopia

British pilot in Africa air rally is missing in Ethiopia | iNFOnews.ca
FILE - In this Tuesday, May 1, 2007 file photo, Maurice Kirk stands next to his damaged World War II-era plane, "Liberty Girl", which he then planned to have restored, in Freeport, Maine. The organizers of a rally of vintage planes flying across Africa say the British pilot Maurice Kirk, 72, went missing Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2016 while flying his 1943 Piper Cub plane and had not arrived at his expected destination in Gambella, Ethiopia. (AP Photo/Pat Wellenbach, File)

KAMPALA, Uganda – The organizers of a rally of vintage planes flying across Africa say a British pilot has gone missing while flying a 1943 Piper Cub plane.

Vintage Air Rally said in a statement on Facebook that Maurice Kirk, 72, had not arrived at his expected destination in Gambella, Ethiopia, on Tuesday.

The group said that before Kirk disappeared he had been advised to return to the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, after departing Ad-Damazin, Sudan, heading to Gambella. Kirk had withdrawn from the rally before he went missing, it said.

It said Kirk is believed to have made a precautionary landing somewhere in Ethiopia, where a search is on to find him.

The Vintage Air Rally describes itself as a “flying rally across Africa, from Crete to Cape Town,” for aircraft built in the early 20th century.

The teams are attempting to cross 10 countries in 37 stops and 35 days.

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