Plane crash near Heathfield likely due to pilot cardiac event

Witnesses described seeing the nose of the aircraft drop suddenly shortly after it took off from Bradley’s Lawn airstrip in Cross in Hand, near Heathfield, on the morning of August 4.

The plane was seen speeding and spiralling towards the ground, with people in the area saying they heard a bang as it hit the ground then saw a plume of dark smoke and flames rising from the crash site.

That afternoon, Sussex Police confirmed that pilot had died during the incident.

A pilot died after their plane crashed near Heathfield

Before climbing into the cockpit of his Rans S6-116 Coyote II at about 9.50am, the pilot had told the owner of the airstrip he intended to fly to Popham Airfield in Hampshire "where his partner had probably already landed", a report released today by the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) states.

"The pilot’s partner had planned to fly her own aircraft to Popham from another departure airfield, meeting up airborne with the pilot prior to arrival. On the day of the accident, the pilot advised his partner by text message that his departure was delayed, and he would fly direct to Popham and meet her there.

"The landowner commented that the pilot did not seem to be in a hurry."

About 10 minutes later the landowner heard the aircraft start up. He noted that the take-off looked and sounded normal, watching the plane take to the skies before turning away.

It was then that he heard a loud bang and, moments later, saw a column of black smoke and flames rising upwind of the airstrip.

Another witness, standing on the other side of the valley where the aircraft crashed, said they heard two further bangs.

The pilot was known to fly with a small gas camping stove aboard the aircraft, and an exploded gas cylinder for such a stove was found in a nearby field.

The exploded casing of the aircraft’s fire extinguisher was also found within the wreckage, with both explosions thought to have been caused by an "intense" fire which sparked after the plane hit the ground.

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Hearing the impact, the landowner phoned emergency services at 10.03am, and teams arrived at the scene within ten minutes.

They arrived to find a scene of destruction, with parts of the aircraft strewn across the ground. Both wings were bent out of shape and the aircrafts two fuel tanks were destroyed. Most of the polyester fabric wing and fuselage coverings were also destroyed by the flames that engulfed the plane after the crash.

The AAIB investigation into the crash found that the plane's engine had been regularly serviced by the pilot, and was last overhauled in August 2011, before it was installed in the aircraft.

"The landowner and the other pilot reported that the pilot always re-fuelled the aircraft after each flight," it stated.

"The aircraft wreckage was recovered to the AAIB facility in Farnborough for further assessment.

"No evidence of any pre-existing damage was found."

A pilot died after their plane crashed near Heathfield

The report also noted that the weather reports at Gatwick Airport recorded minimal cloud coverage at medium level that day, with the sky otherwise clear with good visibility and light south-westerly winds.

It was found that the pilot held an EASA Class 2 medical valid until March 2021.

He suffered from hypertension and had been diagnosed with a cardiac condition.

The report stated: "A post-mortem examination found no soot in his airways or upper digestive tract and, despite extensive injuries, there was no adjacent haemorrhage.

"The post-mortem examination also found moderate three-vessel coronary artery atheroma. The toxicology report was negative."

A pathologist said the absence of soot meant the pilot was not alive during the fire. They added that atheroma, related to hypertension or high blood pressure, can be associated with sudden death.

The AAIB report concluded: "(The plane) experienced a loss of control in flight shortly after take-off, which resulted in a steep spiral descent.

"The aircraft struck the ground and a post-impact fire started shortly afterwards.

"Although engine failure could not be discounted, the loss of control was probably the result of the pilot suffering a cardiac event resulting in incapacitation shortly after take-off."