What happened
On 10 September 2021, a Cessna 172S, registration G-CFIO, departed Rochester Airport without permission from the aircraft operator or clearance from air traffic control. The pilot, a student with 74 total flying hours, had been scheduled for a dual training flight with an instructor. However, while the instructor was at the Air Traffic Control building, the pilot boarded the aircraft alone and proceeded to take off.
Prior to departure, the pilot used the aircraft radio to announce that he had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and stated his intention to deliberately crash the plane. Following takeoff, radar tracked the aircraft flying south of Ashford, where it performed a series of sustained turns. At approximately 10:44 hrs, a witness observed the aircraft enter a sharp, descending left turn at low altitude. The aircraft subsequently struck the ground in a field near Tar Pot Lane, near Ruckinge, Kent. The impact resulted in one fatality and the total destruction of the aircraft.
The investigation
The AAIB examined the wreckage and the flight path. Technical inspections of G-CFIO found no evidence of mechanical failure or flight control restrictions prior to impact; the engine was found to be under power at the time of the crash. While the field where the aircraft landed was suitable for an emergency landing, the pilot's approach track was aligned across a corner of the field rather than down its length, leaving insufficient distance to avoid obstacles.
Investigators also reviewed the pilot's medical history. Although the pilot had received a terminal diagnosis in July 2021, he had not disclosed this to his Aero-medical Examiner (AME) during his medical certificate renewal in June 2021. The investigation noted that AMEs generally do not have access to a pilot's private GP records, leaving the responsibility of disclosure to the pilot.
Findings
- The aircraft struck the ground during a descending left turn.
- There was no evidence of technical failure or control malfunction that would have caused the uncontrolled descent.
- The pilot had a terminal diagnosis that was not reported to the medical examiner.
- A coroner's inquest later returned a verdict of suicide.