What happened
A flight traveling from Middleton St. George to Birmingham was conducting several aerial photography tasks during its journey. While flying at approximately 2,000 feet above mean sea level, roughly five miles west of Sheffield, the pilot determined that a 40-knot headwind would prevent the aircraft from reaching the original destination with sufficient fuel reserves. Consequently, the crew requested and received permission from Manchester Approach Control to divert to Manchester Airport under special VFR conditions, which restricted the flight to altitudes below 3,500 feet.
While navigating toward the Manchester beacon on a north-westerly heading, the pilot observed terrain ahead and began an ascent from 2,000 feet toward the permitted 3,500-foot ceiling. During this climb, the aircraft entered cloud cover at 2,500 feet. At an altitude of 2,700 feet, the pilot observed a rapid descent rate of 2,000 feet per minute on the vertical speed indicator. Despite applying full power and attempting to pitch the nose up, the aircraft struck the ground near an elevation of 1,990 feet. The accident resulted in two fatalities, involving the pilot and a photographer.
Findings
Investigation of the wreckage indicated that the aircraft impacted the terrain while maintaining a normal cruising attitude and operating at a low engine power setting. Weather analysis revealed that the cloud base over the hills fluctuated between 1,800 and 3,000 feet during the period of the accident. Wind conditions at the time included speeds of 45 to 50 knots from 240 degrees, with visibility ranging between 1.5 and 3 nautical miles.
At the time of the flight, SIGMET warnings had been issued for the Preston FIR, alerting pilots to the potential for severe turbulence over high ground. While severe turbulence was a known factor in the region, investigators could not definitively confirm if specific significant downdrafts were present at the exact location of the impact.