'Inexperienced' pilot 'lost control of aircraft' before fatal plane crash at airfield
Investigators have said a pilot, killed alongside his passenger when his plane nosedived into the ground at an airfield last summer, is thought to have lost control of the aircraft.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) found it took just six seconds between pilot Christopher Ingle performing his final manoeuvre at the controls of the EV-97 Eurostar, a two-seat light sport aircraft, and it crashing shortly after take-off at Otherton Airfield, near Penkridge, in June last year.
Investigators said the 56-year-old had not suffered any medical issues, and there were not any obvious faults with the plane, but described him as 'relatively inexperienced' and said he might have been unable to rescue the situation when the plane began spinning to the ground.
Conditions at12.57pm on June 4 were favourable for flying, but shortly after take-off the small plane went into a spin and crashed into a container on the ground, killing Mr Ingle and 63-year-old passenger Graham Jones.
The report said: "The left-wing had struck the top of a metal shipping container and separated from the rest of the aircraft, which came to rest alongside.
"The fuel tank was split open and there had been a post-crash fire that consumed parts of the aircraft; no fuel remained in the tank."
The fatal spin began the plane was about 200 metres from the runway and 480 metres in the air. CCTV images showed the plane nosediving and spinning towards the ground.
The report added: "There were no reports of any radio calls having been made from G-IFLE during the short flight."
The weight of the aircraft was also ruled out as a factor, as was the pilot having a medical episode at the controls.
The report added: "Medical incapacitation seems unlikely as the pathologist concluded that the pilot and passenger were fatally injured in the crash and there was no evidence of carbon monoxide poisoning. Whilst the passenger probably had sufficient experience to fly the aircraft if the pilot was incapacitated, success would rely on recognising a need to take control.
"If the pilot intended to land, then it would be normal to fly the downwind leg at 500 foot angle with the flaps extended. Continuing to climb to 740 foot angle with the flaps retracted might indicate that he intended to climb and leave the circuit, or that he had become distracted."
Investigators also checked if there had been an engine failure.
The report added: "Consideration was given to the possibility that there had been an engine failure or loss of power. The fuel shut-off valve and engine ignition switches were found in the normal operating positions for flight and the intensity of the fire is evidence that there was fuel onboard the aircraft.
"Examination of the engine concluded that it was probably operating at a low power setting and the propeller was rotating when the aircraft struck the ground.
"The low power setting could be due to the pilot closing the throttle when attempting to recover following the loss of control, or a fault in the engine. However, the damage to the engine and aircraft meant that it was not possible to establish if there had been a fault."
However, due to the rapid nature of the descent, the pilot could not retrieve control.
The report said: "It took around six seconds from the start of the final manoeuvre to the aircraft striking the ground, during which it made approximately 1.5 rotations.
"The pilot was relatively inexperienced and suddenly entering a spin would have startled him and possibly limited his ability to respond promptly and correctly.
The report concluded: "While turning onto the final approach during a return to the airfield the aircraft entered a spin. The pilot was unable to recover the aircraft before it struck the ground and caught fire. The accident was not survivable."