Two people died following a plane crash at Lower Colley Farm, Buckland after the aircraft hit a tree, an investigation has found. The fatal incident took place on August 12, 2021, during a cross-country flight.
Moments before the tragic Somerset collision, the pilot sent out an emergency alert saying the weather wasn't clear enough to land. Minutes later, several witnesses nearby described a loud engine noise prior to an impact.
Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) launched an inquiry into the incident which involved a Mudry Cap 10B (G-BXBU) and have now made a number of recommendations. The aircraft - carrying a pilot and passenger - set off from Watchford Farm at 7.04am, reports Somerset Live.
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Their intention was to fly to St Mary’s on the Isles of Scilly for a day trip before returning that afternoon. At the time they left Watchford Farm, the local weather was described by witnesses as clear skies with good visibility.
However at around 9.05am - after flying as planned towards Cornwall - the pilot called Dunkeswell Radio, using the words “PAN, PAN,PAN” (indicating urgency), asking about the weather conditions at the airfield and stating that he was unable to land at Watchford Farm because he was stuck above cloud.
He was advised to contact Exeter Radar or the Distress and Diversion (D&D) Cell. The pilot made another PAN call six minutes later, stating he was in “real trouble” as he was stuck above thick cloud and he didn’t know what to do.
He finished his radio transmission by stating “I need to divert to somewhere close to me where I can land”. Several witnesses in other aircraft who heard the call described the pilot sounding anxious and stressed.
After contacting the D&D for assistance, he was transferred to the radar frequency of a nearby airport, at which the cloud base was below the minimum required for the approach offered. The pilot, who was not qualified to fly in cloud, lost control of the aircraft during the subsequent descent and the aircraft was destroyed when it hit a tree.
At 9.20am, Devon and Cornwall Police received a report of an aircraft accident. First responders found that both the pilot and the passenger were fatally injured.
According to AAIB, the investigation identified shortcomings in the system in place in the UK to provide emergency support to aircraft in distress. It found that air traffic service providers did not obtain or exchange sufficient information about the aircraft and its pilot to enable adequate assistance to be provided.
There was an absence of active decision-making by those providers and uncertainty between units and their respective roles and responsibilities.
As a result of the investigation, seven Safety Recommendations have been made, five to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and two to the Department for Transport (DfT), which will also be addressed by the Military Aviation Authority (MAA) that oversees the D&D.
The CAA are recommended to:
- Publish guidance for general aviation pilots on responding to unexpected weather deterioration
- Require air traffic controllers to receive training regarding the human performance characteristics and limitations associated with stress
- Specify the types of information that air traffic controllers will obtain and record when responding to aircraft in an emergency to ensure that pilots’ needs are met and reported correctly if communicated to other air traffic control units
- Encourage the use of checklists in air traffic management operations when dealing with abnormal and emergency situations
- Determine the effect the D&D Cell’s executive control has on civil Air Traffic Control Officers (ATCOs) and inform civil ATCOs of any differences in their responsibilities whilst executive control is exercised.
The DfT are recommended to:
- Review the current provision of emergency communications in the UK to determine if the involvement of a dedicated emergency air traffic service unit is the most effective way to assist civil aircraft in an emergency, and publish its findings
- Specify and publish details of the emergency air traffic service it requires the D&D Cell to provide.
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