Safety call after fatal aircraft crash in cloudy conditions

AN air crash in Somerset in which two people died – including a mother from East Devon – has led to new safety recommendations following alleged shortcomings in the system to help pilots in distress.

The accident happened at Lower Colley Farm, Buckland St Mary, on August 12, 2021, during a flight from Watchford Farm in the Blackdown Hills south of Taunton.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) launched an inquiry into the incident which involved a Mudry Cap 10B aircraft (G-BXBU).

According to AAIB, the investigation identified shortcomings in the system in place in the UK to provide emergency support to aircraft in distress.

It found that air traffic service providers did not obtain or exchange sufficient information about the aircraft and its pilot to enable adequate assistance to be provided.

There was an absence of active decision making by those providers and uncertainty between units and their respective roles and responsibilities.

According to the AAIB, the aircraft, carrying a pilot and passenger, set off from Watchford Farm at 07.04am. The intention was to fly to St Mary’s on the Isles of Scilly for a day trip before returning that afternoon.

At the time they left Watchford Farm, the local weather was described by witnesses as clear skies with good visibility. But at around 9.05am, after flying as planned towards Cornwall, the pilot called Dunkeswell Radio, using the words “PAN, PAN, PAN” (indicating urgency), asking about the weather conditions at the airfield and stating that he was unable to land at Watchford Farm because he was stuck above cloud.

He was advised to contact Exeter

A Mudry Cap similar to the aircraft involved in the crash

Radar or the Distress and Diversion (D&D) Cell on the emergency frequency 121.5 MHz.

The pilot made another PAN call on 121.5 MHz at 09.11am, stating he was in “real trouble” as he was stuck above thick cloud and he didn’t know what to do.

He finished his radio transmission by stating “I need to divert to somewhere close to me where I can land”.

Several witnesses in other aircraft who heard the call described the pilot as sounding anxious and stressed.

After contacting the D&D for assistance, he was transferred to the radar frequency of a nearby airport, at which the cloud base was below the minimum required for the approach offered. The pilot, who was not qualified to fly in cloud, lost control of the aircraft during the subsequent descent and the aircraft was destroyed when it hit a tree. At 9.20am, Devon and Cornwall Police received a report of an aircraft accident. First responders found that both the pilot and the passenger were fatally injured.

As a result of the investigation, seven safety recommendations have been made, five to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and two to the Department for Transport (DfT), which will also be addressed by the Military Aviation Authority (MAA) that oversees the D&D.

According to Somerset Live, Margaret Costa, 74, from East Devon, was the only passenger on board the plane. Her family said she was “much-loved”.

Ian Kirk >