Valley crash inquest hears proposals to avoid repeat of tragedy

THE inquest into the death of a Red Arrows engineer who died in a crash-landing at RAF Valley has been adjourned.

Corporal Jonathan Harvey Bayliss died when the Hawk T1 he was a passenger in stalled during a mid-air manoeuvre on March 20, 2018.

Cpl Bayliss, 41, was knocked unconscious by the impact and died of smoke inhalation, but pilot Flight Lieutenant David Stark ejected 0.5 seconds before the crash and survived.

The full inquest into Cpl Bayliss’s death began on Tuesday last week and heard how the airmen intended to perform an exercise called “practice engine failure after take-off” before flying back from Valley to their base at RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire.

Giving evidence on the second day of the inquest, Fl Lt Stark said he struggled to remember the incident in detail, having been knocked unconscious on impact with the ground, but he recalled a moment when things went from “OK” to “categorically not OK”.

Fl Lt Stark said he only had time to say “eject” once as opposed to three times and remembered feeling if he had said “eject” a second time he would not have survived.

The hearing revealed that once in the air, the pilot could not operate the ejector seat for the other person.

Cpl Bayliss (pictured) did have the ability to eject both occupants of the aircraft but Fl Lt Stark said he believed Cpl Bayliss would not have been able to “perceive that risk with his experience” or “project the outcome”.

Captain Mark Jackson also gave evidence during the hearing and listed several areas in which changes could be made to ensure a situation like this did not occur again.

He said it was “feasible” to install a warning system in the aircraft to make the pilot aware of a stall.

Cpt Jackson said it would include an audible warning and a flashing light so the pilot “would be able to hear and see it”.

Cpl Bayliss’s sister, Gayle Todd, who attended via Zoom, said she was “glad to hear” the proposals but said it “highlights all that was wrong” at the time of the crash.

On Tuesday the coroner ruled that article two of the European Convention on Human Rights – the right to life – had now been engaged following further disclosure from the Ministry of Defence. On day three of what was intended to be a fourday inquest, held in Caernarfon, acting senior coroner Katie Sutherland made the decision to adjourn the hearing and deliver her conclusion at a later date.

M s Sutherland said this would give her enough time to consider a prevention of future deaths report. Ms Sutherland said: “The inquest will be adjourned part-heard in effect for me to consider the evidence. I’d like to thank the family and everyone who has attended and for their cooperation and active role as part of these proceedings.” The inquest will continue on December 3.