Does Dakota crash hold the secret to moors death mystery?

The DC-3 crash site in 1949

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COULD the identity of a mystery man found dead on lonely Saddleworth Moor be linked to an horrific plane crash more than 60 years ago?

Twenty four people, including all the crew some passengers and children, died when a British European Airways Douglas Dakota ploughed into the hillside above Dovestone Reservoir on August 19, 1949. Only eight passengers, including three children, survived the crash as the plane made a final approach to Manchester from Belfast.

Det Sgt John Coleman of Oldham CID, who leads the exhaustive hunt to unravel the puzzle of a man whose body was found near Dovestones last month, said “We have opened the files on the DC-3 and are examining all the names of those on the plane. The unidentified man is of an age that ties in with the crash itself. But this is just one of many lines of inquiry.

“The man could be related to someone who lived or lost their life on that fateful August morning. We are keeping all our options open. The man could possibly have been making a pilgrimage to the crash site, to remember a relative or friend. The crash was a major event at the time. At this stage, with no clue to his identity, nothing can be ruled out.

Police have extended their dragnet to Ireland in a bid to eliminate one passenger, and have asked Interpol to check possible leads on the continent. Last week pictures of the dead man were also circulated to GPs nationwide.

The mystery unfolded when a cyclist discovered the man, believed to be in his 60-70s, laying dead at the side of a track leadingfrom Dovestone Reservoir on December 12. He had travelled to Euston Station in London from the tube from Ealing Broadway on the Friday. Then he bought a return rail ticket to Manchester Piccadilly.

His body carried no form of identification.

The man turned up at the Clarence Hotel in Greenfield at around 2pm. and asked for directions. Later he was spotted walking along the track behind the Dovestone sailing club, which leads to Chew Reservoir.

Since then, Sgt Coleman and his team, including DC Nichola Chapman, have spent hours sifting and rechecking the journey and following shoals of leads.