ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 168972
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| Date: | Wednesday 20 August 2014 |
| Time: | 19:33 |
| Type: |  Piper PA-38-112 Tomahawk |
| Owner/operator: | Airtime Aviation Holdings Ltd (regd. owner) |
| Registration: | G-BNDE |
| MSN: | 38-79A0363 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1979 |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-235-L2C |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Hedges Farm, Near Padbury Brook, Buckinghamshire -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | White Waltham, Maidenhead, Berkshire (EGLM) |
| Elstree, Hertfordshire (EGTR) | |
| Investigating agency: | AAIB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
A man has been killed in a light aircraft crash near Buckingham. Thames Valley Police said the aircraft was found at Hedges Farm, off London Road, north of Padbury, shortly after 19:40 BST on Wednesday, and officers were still at the scene on Thursday.
The man, aged in his 60s, and the only person on board, died at the scene. No one on the ground was hurt. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) confirmed it had begun an investigation.
UPDATE: The following is an extract from the official AAIB investrigation...
"The pilot took off from White Waltham at 1708 hrs and headed in a northerly direction. South of Buckingham he started flying in an approximately circular pattern with a 2 to 3 nautical mile radius and continued for almost an hour, remaining between 2,500 feet and 4,700 feet amsl (the base of controlled Class A airspace in the area is 5,500 feet amsl). During this time the pilot made a number of calls on his mobile telephone.
At 18:31 hours the pilot attempted to make a telephone call to a relative but it did not connect. Twenty-five seconds later a text message was sent to the same relative, stating that control of the aircraft had been lost and it was “going down”. Some two minutes later, the pilot broadcast a MAYDAY call on the Farnborough Radar North frequency, stating that the aircraft had gone into a spin. Farnborough responded to the MAYDAY call but the reply crossed with a further communication from the pilot, giving his position and ending abruptly.
A number of witnesses near Padbury saw the aircraft descend rapidly, spinning or spiralling until it went out of view. The subsequent impact with the ground destroyed the aircraft and the pilot sustained fatal injuries".
Press reports, in the light of the AAIB report in the accident, speculated on whether or not the crash was an incident of "suicide by 'plane", but it cannot be proved either way that the fatal spin was or was not intentional of if the pilot was simply distracted by trying to fly whilst using his mobile 'phone at the same time.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
1. https://assets.digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk/media/55252ee3e5274a141b000001/Piper_PA-38-112_Tomahawk_G-BNDE_04-15.pdf
2. http://www.buckinghamtoday.co.uk/news/more-news/updated-person-dies-following-plane-crash-1-6251741
3. http://www.bucksherald.co.uk/news/more-news/latest-update-man-dies-in-plane-crash-1-6251741
4. http://www.buckinghamtoday.co.uk/news/more-news/plane-crash-victim-is-named-1-6256952
5. https://forums.flyer.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=91156&sid=d8f41abaab6dbee3042a203fed013587
6. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/x-factor-girls-fraudster-father-killed-in-buckinghamshire-plane-crash-9698720.html_
7. http://www.caa.co.uk/aircraft-registration/
8. Piper G-BNDE on 16 April 2014: https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1451400/
Media:
The AAIB are deploying a team to a light aircraft accident near Buckingham, Northamptonshire
— AAIB (@aaibgovuk) August 20, 2014
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 21-Aug-2014 02:34 | Geno | Added |
| 21-Aug-2014 06:19 | Anon. | Updated [Aircraft type] |
| 21-Aug-2014 07:03 | gerard57 | Updated [Operator, Nature, Damage] |
| 21-Aug-2014 11:06 | gerard57 | Updated [Total occupants, Source, Narrative] |
| 21-Aug-2014 16:31 | Crispy | Updated [Registration, Cn] |
| 21-Aug-2014 16:40 | harro | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Narrative] |
| 25-Aug-2014 04:01 | Aerossurance | Updated [Time, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 08-Sep-2014 02:02 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Registration, Operator, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Damage, Narrative] |
| 19-Apr-2015 15:57 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 19-Apr-2015 15:58 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 12-Feb-2016 00:24 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Embed code] |
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