Fatal plane crash remains mystery as no faults found
NO anomalies were found with the aircraft which crashed in Warwickshire and killed two people last year.
Adrian Findlay, 55, from Rugby, and Robert Stephens, 56, from Wolston, died after the plane they were in crashed into a field off Wolds Lane, near to Grove Farm, and burst into flames on Thursday, September 28, 2017.
A crash investigation report released today by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) concludes that the plane landed too far down the runway at Grove Farm in Wolvey, before bouncing, and touching down again “with insufficient distance to stop before a Wreckage of the plane hedge at the end of the runway.” The plane passed through the hedge, catching fire in the field beyond.
Both pilot and passenger survived the accident, but later died of the burns that they sustained.
The report noted that a technical examination of the aircraft was limited, due to the severity of the fire.
But using both the wreck and the maintenance documents for the Europa light aircraft, investigators found no anomalies that may have contributed to the accident.
However, this does not necessarily rule out a technical issue, as the pilot attempted the landing almost immediately after taking off, rather than completing their planned local flight.
The report states that: “A technical fault, or a change of plan for some other undetermined reason may have led to the pilot’s decision to immediately return to land and, if so, this distraction might have contributed to the touchdown point being significantly further down the runway than intended.
“However, no cause for such a distraction was identified during the investigation, and no distress call was heard on any frequency.”
The pilot was believed to have been familiar with Grove Farm, and investigators believe that he would have known to land near the beginning of the runway.
The AAIB has now issued a safety recommendation following the release of the investigation report.
It said: “The aircraft was eligible to use E5 MOGAS (a type of fuel), but no evidence could be found to show that the inspections and checks of the fuel system required for approval had been completed.
“Although it could not be determined whether the type of fuel being used was a contributory factor, this is the second recent accident where there was no evidence of the correct procedures being followed to approve the use of E5 MOGAS.
“The Light Aircraft Association agreed during discussions with the AAIB that it would remind all owners, via a Safety Spot article in their members magazine, of the importance of correctly following the published procedures to approve the use of E5 MOGAS in their aircraft.”