History of the Flight
The Cessna 182S, registration G-WHDP, departed Elstree, Hertfordshire at 0730 UTC on 23 June 2001 with the pilot, his wife, and two children. The flight to RAF St Mawgan was conducted under VFR in visual meteorological conditions and was uneventful until the landing on Runway 31. The runway is 2,745 m long and 87 m wide, with an arrester wire 420 m beyond the threshold. The pilot intended to land beyond the first arrester wire.
After contacting approach control, the pilot was cleared to join right base for Runway 31. The controller reported rotary traffic up to 3,000 ft in the overhead. At 0911 UTC, a Sea King helicopter (SRG 170) landed at the south dispersal. The Cessna pilot established on a 2 nm final. His wife saw him move the rudder trim wheel left to right just before touchdown. His daughter noticed him slightly recoil, possibly reacting to the Sea King, which had become airborne.
The ATC assistant described the approach as stable but high and steep. The aircraft touched down at 0914:33, approximately 180 m beyond the first arrester wire, slightly left of the runway centreline. It did not decelerate significantly and began to increase speed, turning right across the centreline. The Sea King commander, now air taxiing, turned hard left away from the runway.
The tower controller asked if the pilot was in control, but received no response. The pilot applied full power, and the aircraft entered a tight skidding left turn, crossing the centreline and striking a runway edge light. The aircraft then pitched nose-up, became airborne briefly to about 5–6 ft, cleared a road, and descended striking the grass with the left wing tip in a nose-down attitude. It veered left, the right wing struck the grass edge, and it slewed right, coming to rest with the nose wheel and right main wheel detached. The crash alarm was sounded, and fire crews responded within 35–40 seconds.
Rescue and Survival Aspects
A fire broke out on the left side of the cockpit immediately after the aircraft stopped. The pilot exited through the left door, which had detached. Fuel from a disconnected hose in the left wing root contaminated his clothing and ignited, but he extinguished most flames by rolling. He then moved to assist his family. His wife, in the front right seat, had a serious head injury and was unconscious. The older child exited through the right door and pulled her out. Fire officers removed the occupants and applied foam. A fireman found the ignition, battery master switch, and light switches in the OFF position.
The pilot suffered burns to 74% of his body surface and died nine days later in a specialist burns unit. The post-mortem found no pre-existing medical condition that caused or contributed to the accident. One passenger sustained serious injuries; the other two were uninjured.
Aircraft Weight and Balance
The aircraft weight at takeoff was 2,992 lb, below the maximum of 3,100 lb. The centre of gravity was within limits. Landing weight was calculated as 2,872 lb, 78 lb below the permitted 2,950 lb.
Sea King Helicopter (SRG 170)
The Search and Rescue Sea King Mk 3A was crewed by two pilots, with a radar operator joining later. They were familiar with the airfield and properly qualified. The crew experienced radio interference (a loud hum) but reduced volume to manage. After boarding, the Sea King commander commenced a ground taxi from the south dispersal, intending to lift into a high hover over grass south of Runway 31. The tower controller cleared the Cessna to land at 0913:48. The Sea King requested taxi clearance at 0914:05. After the runway excursion, the aircraft was possibly affected by the rotor downwash from the Sea King, which was positioned near the runway and air taxiing.