ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 89982
Last updated: 26 February 2021
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| Date: | 25-MAY-2005 |
| Time: | 16:07 LT |
| Type: |  Slingsby T.67C Firefly |
| Owner/operator: | Open Skies Partnership |
| Registration: | G-FORS |
| C/n / msn: | 2082 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Potterspury, 6 miles NW of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Training |
| Departure airport: | Turweston, Buckinghamshire (EGBT) |
| Investigating agency: | AAIB |
Written off (destroyed) 25-05-2005 when failed to recover from a spin during aerobatics training and dived into the ground on the Wakefield Estate, Potterspury, neat Towcester, Northamptonshire, 6 miles North West of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. Both persons on board (pupil pilot and instructor) sustained fatal injuries. According to the following excerpt from the official AAIB report into the accident:
"An instructor and his student were conducting a training flight when the aircraft was seen to enter a spin. The aircraft was still in a spin when it impacted the ground. There was no evidence of a mechanical problem; however, it is possible that the engine might have stopped during the spin.
Whilst it was not possible to establish what the instructor planned to do on this flight, the investigation concluded that the aircraft probably entered an unintentional spin during an exercise involving oscillatory stalling. This particular exercise is not part of the UK Private Pilot’s Licence syllabus. As this exercise is considered inappropriate for ab initio flying training, a recommendation has been made to the CAA to ensure that flying instructors do not include oscillatory stalling during early flying training."
A contemporary press report (The Milton Keynes Citizen 31-05-2005, see link #6) named the two fatalities thus: "Rudi DeLavergne, aged 49 of Stock Lane, Whaddon, and Michael McKechnie, aged 43, of Passenham, both died of multiple injuries when the two-seater Slingsby Firefly they were in crashed at the Wakefield Estate at about 5.15pm."
Nature of Damage to airframe: Per the AAIB report "Aircraft destroyed". Aircraft presumably written off (damaged beyond repair) as the registration G-FORS was cancelled on 16.01.2006 as "Permanently withdrawn from use"
Sources:
1. AAIB: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5422f327ed915d1371000453/G-FORS_3-06.pdf
2. CAA: https://siteapps.caa.co.uk/g-info/rk=FORS
3. https://www.pprune.org/private-flying/176163-towcester-northants-incident-inquest-report-update.html
4. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/northamptonshire/4581851.stm
5. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/northamptonshire/4580897.stm
6. https://www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/news/two-killed-in-tragedy-1-854630
7. https://www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/news/two-killed-in-plane-crash-1-854586
8. https://www.scotsman.com/news/uk/two-die-as-plane-crashes-in-field-1-1055881
Accident investigation:
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Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 09-Feb-2011 14:52 | harro | Added |
| 22-Sep-2012 14:40 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Registration, Cn, Operator, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 04-Dec-2014 00:26 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Aircraft type, Departure airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 30-Nov-2015 10:47 | TB | Updated [Aircraft type, Location] |
| 11-Aug-2016 14:58 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Location, Source, Narrative] |
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