Air crash due to 'turbulence and pilot inexperience'

The pilot and his passenger were forced to scramble from their plane when it crash-landed upside down at Abbots Bromley Airfield near Rugeley.

An investigation by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch has now concluded the crash was due to a number of factors, with changes in wind direction and turbulence creating difficult conditions to land the plane.

The report also states the pilot's 'lack of familiarity' with the type of plane may have been a factor and that had he flown slightly faster as he descended, the crash may have been avoidable.

It also says there is a possibility that had the pilot sought a touchdown point further into the runway than the 20m he had aimed for, the crash may not have happened.

The accident, which took place on July 10, saw the plane crash through two hedges after it failed to gather sufficient altitude.

Once it passed through the second hedge the aircraft flipped over, coming to rest upside down in crops to the left of the runway. Both the pilot and his passenger were injured and were forced to escape the aircraft though the broken canopy on the passenger's side of the plane.

With minor head injuries and bruises, the men were able to walk to a nearby farmhouse for help before returning to their plane, where they were found by the emergency services and taken to University Hospital of North Staffordshire.

Prior to the flight the pilot judged visibility to be at around 10km, but once he had reached a height of 1,300ft it became evident the visibility was worse than it had appeared from the ground. At this point, the pilot decided to land.

"At late stage on the approach, the aircraft suddenly dropped, losing 'a large amount of of height'," says the report. The plane's airspeed then reduced from around 70mph to just over 50mph.

"The pilot applied full power but the aircraft did not climb and subsequently collided with two hedges," adds the report. The pilot subsequently commented that the wind direction and topography resulted in a downdraft."

Following the crash, villagers nearby said it was the first accident they were aware of at the airfield.