ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 146842
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| Date: | Saturday 21 July 2012 |
| Time: | 15:21 |
| Type: |  Cessna F172M Skyhawk (Reims) |
| Owner/operator: | Perranporth Flying Club Ltd |
| Registration: | G-ROUP |
| MSN: | F172-1451 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Sheep Rock, Nancekuke, near Portreath, Cornwall -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Perranporth Airfield, Cornwall (EGTP) |
| Unknown | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities |
The aircraft crashed into cliffs at Sheep Rock, Nancekuke, near RAF Portreath, North Cornwall. The pilot was killed in the crash. Local police confirmed that suicide was one of the lines of inquiry being pursued by detectives, after a note was found at Perranporth Flying Club. Inspector Pete Turner, the force's incident manager, yesterday said: "One of the lines of inquiry the investigation is looking into is the possibility of suicide, based on a letter that was left. There is currently a joint fire and police investigation and we will look at all areas from the police side – an accident is obviously the other possibility."
The plane took off from Perranporth airfield at 4.05pm on Saturday and crashed shortly afterwards. A major rescue operation was launched involving a search and rescue helicopter from RNAS Culdrose, Devon and Cornwall Police, Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service and Falmouth Coastguards.
A police spokesman said nobody else was thought to have been in the aircraft and there were no casualties on the ground. A source close to the rescue operation said a charred logbook found in the cockpit had confirmed the origin of the flight.
A telephone call to the control tower then revealed that the pilot had boarded the plane, leaving behind him a note. It is thought that the man, who was the only person on board the plane, was known to police as a potential suicide risk, a claim the force refused to confirm.
A spokesman for Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service said: "The fire service received a call from a member of the public in regards to a light aircraft which had been seen in collision with cliffs near Sheep Rock outside of Portreath. The fire service mobilised four major appliances, four special appliances, two Land Rovers and two wholetime officers to this incident from Redruth, Camborne, Truro, Falmouth, Perranporth and St Just. On the crews' arrival they discovered the wreckage of a light aircraft and several fires around the crash site."
The registration of the Cessna F172M involved - G-ROUP - was formally cancelled by the CAA on 29-01-2013 as "destroyed"
Sources:
1. CAA: https://publicapps.caa.co.uk/modalapplication.aspx?catid=1&pagetype=65&appid=1&mode=reg&fullregmark=ROUP
NTSB
3. http://www.kathrynsreport.com/2012/07/crash-pilot-may-have-taken-own-life.html
4, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-18940451
5. https://www.cornwalllive.com/Man-killed-light-aircraft-cliff-crash-Cornwall/story-16574428-detail/story.html
6. http://www.westernmorningnews.co.uk/cornwall-death-crash-pilot-suicide-mission/story-16581338-detail/story.html
7. http://www.cornwallcommunitynews.co.uk/2012/07/25/spitfire-aces-cliff-face-suicide/
8. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/jul/23/plane-crash-suicide-police
9. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2177661/Retired-Navy-commander-died-light-aircraft-crashed-deliberately-flown-plane-cliff.html
10. https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1052736_
Media:
The AAIB is sending a team to investigate an accident to a light aircraft near Portreath, Cornwall.
— AAIB (@aaibgovuk) July 21, 2012
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 22-Jul-2012 00:06 | ryan | Added |
| 22-Jul-2012 10:45 | harro | Updated [Aircraft type, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Narrative] |
| 22-Jul-2012 12:53 | Anon. | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 25-Jul-2012 13:24 | TL 9 | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn] |
| 10-Aug-2012 08:29 | Geno | Updated [Time, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 01-Sep-2012 16:48 | Uli Elch | Updated [Aircraft type, Cn] |
| 08-Sep-2012 15:28 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Location, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 23-Dec-2014 20:39 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 02-Oct-2015 23:01 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Embed code] |
| 12-Feb-2016 01:49 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Embed code] |
| 04-Jan-2017 17:51 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 04-Jan-2017 17:54 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Embed code] |
| 04-Jan-2017 18:00 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
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