A married couple were killed in a light aircraft crash as they made a surprise visit to see family during the holiday weekend. David and Margaret-Ann Rous were on an Easter getaway when their private plane crashed into hills during bad weather in the Scottish highlands. The pair had arranged a secret visit using Mr Rous’s light aircraft to see his wife’s mother and sister on an island in the Inner Hebrides on Saturday. Newlyweds: Dr Margaret-Ann and David Rous died when their light aircraft crashed into a Scottish hillside while flying from their home in Dundee to make a surprise to see family on the the Hebridean isle of Tiree . Tragedy: The couple – who had been married for less than a year – were found in the wreckage of the aircraft . But when the couple failed to turn up at the island’s airstrip and radar contact could not be made with the plane, a search party was scrambled. The wreckage of the plane and the couple’s bodies were found in hills in Argyll six hours later as aviation experts said the flight may have encountered poor visibility. Shocked residents on the island of Tiree paid tribute to the ‘wonderful’ Dr Rous, 37, who had been married to the 28-year-old structural engineer for three years. The couple, who are understood to have been planning a family and to move into a larger property, can be seen revelling in married life in photographs posted online. Alongside images of their honeymoon in Venice, one poignant photograph, posted only months before the crash, shows the smiling couple wearing headsets in a plane cockpit. Dr Rous’s sister Johann yesterday described the GP as her ‘absolute rock’, and said learning about the crash led to ‘the hardest day of my life’. Dr Rous met her husband when he visited Tiree, where she grew up, several years ago. Lives cut short: It is understood the couple were moving to a larger house and were planning to start a family . The couple lived in a £260,000 semi-detached house in Newport-on-Tay, just across the river from Dundee where Dr Rous worked as a family doctor. Neighbours said that despite Mr Rous often working away from home, the couple frequently held parties for them to make friends. Dr John Holliday, Tiree’s local doctor for almost 30 years, said: ‘I had known Margaret-Ann since the 1980s. She captivated everyone that knew her. She was absolutely gorgeous in every way. She became a much-loved GP in Dundee and I have no doubt that she was a wonderful doctor with her charm and great empathy. Surprise visit to see family: The couple were flying in Mr Rous's Piper Cherokee from Dundee, where they lived, to Tiree, where Dr Rous grew up, to spend the weekend with her mother and sister . Scouring the landscape: A Coastguard search and rescue helicopter, a Royal Navy helicopter from HMS Gannet and an air ambulance were all scrambled to make a search after radar contact with the plane was lost . ‘She immediately touched the hearts of everyone who came into contact with her.’ Paying tribute to Mr Rous, originally from Gillingham in Kent, he added: ‘He was a really nice man and a very talented structural engineer with a bright professional career ahead of him. ‘Together they made a fine couple. We can only imagine what the family must be suffering. ‘A cloud has fallen over Tiree, but the island community will come together as it always does at times like this.’ Private jet: The couple were flying in a Piper Cherokee light aircraft (like the one above) when tragedy struck . The tragedy unfolded after the couple set off from Dundee Airport in Mr Rous’s single-engine Piper Cherokee plane on Saturday. Radar contact was lost at around 1.50pm as they travelled over the remote Beinn nan Lus area of Glen Kinglass. Coastguard and Royal Navy helicopters, as well as an air ambulance, were called, and found the wreckage at 8pm on the northern side of Glen Kinglass, above Loch Etive. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch is now examining possible causes of the crash. Local aviation expert David Howitt said that the conditions were poor at the time, adding: ‘I have been taking weather readings here for 50 years, and on Saturday the weather was very, very dubious. There was some very poor visibility.’ Iain MacKinnon, part of the coastguard team that searched the area, said: ‘At the loch surface it was almost perfect visibility, but in terms of using the rescue helicopters they were very restricted.’
Dr Margaret-Ann Rous and her husband David were flying to Tiree to see her mother and sister.
Their bodies were found inside wreckage after the plane dropped off radar.
Couple married last July and were believed to be planning to start family.
Dr Rous's sister Johann has paid emotional tribute to her 'absolute rock'