What happened
During the early stages of flight following departure from Croydon Airport, an engine failure occurred on the right side of the aircraft. As the plane was performing its initial climb, the loss of power led to a loss of control. The aircraft subsequently entered a stall and descended into the center of Wallington.
The descent ended when the plane struck the wall of a church located within the city. The impact and the resulting post-crash fire caused the total destruction of the aircraft. There was one fatality involving the pilot, who was the only person on board at the time of the accident.
Findings
The investigation determined that the primary factor in the crash was the failure of the right engine during the climb phase.