Introduction
On 17 April 2010, at approximately 1622 hours UTC, a privately operated MCR-01 VLA (registration G-TOOT) crashed near Weyhill, Hampshire, about two miles east of Thruxton Aerodrome. The aircraft was destroyed by impact and a subsequent fire. Both the pilot, aged 55, and the passenger sustained fatal injuries.
Flight History
The aircraft had departed from a private site near Bournemouth, Dorset, earlier in the day to attend a safety day at Duxford, Cambridgeshire. The return flight departed Duxford at 1530 hours, tracking directly back toward the Bournemouth area. Initially cruising at 2,400 ft and receiving a Traffic Service from Farnborough LARS, the pilot communicated normally. At 1605 hours, while passing Reading, the aircraft climbed, reaching 4,600 ft at 1613 hours.
Distress Calls
At 1619 hours, the pilot contacted the Distress and Diversion (D&D) cell at the London Air Traffic Control Centre on 121.5 MHz, reporting that the aircraft was at 3,600 ft, over Andover, that the cabin was filling with smoke, and that he intended to land at Thruxton. The D&D controller provided a steer of 260° at 7 nm, but mistakenly said “Turweston”; the pilot corrected him. At 1620:40 hours, the range was 4 nm, and the pilot reported that he was “visual” and might have to stop the engine. At 1621 hours, a 9-second carrier-wave-only transmission was received, believed to originate from the accident aircraft. No further radio contact was made.
Eyewitness Accounts
Several eyewitnesses reported seeing the aircraft flying normally, though lower than usual, before it abruptly entered a nose-down spinning manoeuvre. Most estimated four turns during the spin, with one witness believing it was to the left. One witness thought the spinning stopped just before impact. No witnesses observed fire or smoke trail prior to the crash. A large ground fire and smoke column appeared immediately after the aircraft descended from sight.
Post-Crash Examination
Post-mortem examinations showed that both occupants sustained instantly fatal injuries in the ground impact. There was no evidence of drugs or alcohol, nor of natural disease. A pathologist noted that the absence of elevated carbon monoxide or cyanide levels made it unlikely the occupants were exposed to incapacitating combustion products, but did not preclude the presence of fumes. Examination of the wreckage indicated that there had not been an engine compartment fire as the source of the smoke; the smoke was likely generated by an electrical fault within the cockpit. A large post-crash fire destroyed evidence that would have allowed identification of a specific component.
Meteorological Conditions
At the time of the accident, the surface wind was 2 kt, air temperature 16°C, dew point -2°C, no cloud, and visibility over 10 km. A volcanic ash advisory was in effect but bore no relevance to the accident.
Recorded Data
Radar data from Pease Pottage and Heathrow radars ended at 1621:31 hours, with the aircraft positioned 600 m north of the accident site at 1,200 ft amsl (about 900 ft agl). Two GPS units were recovered. A Lowrance Airmap 500 was destroyed; no data were retrieved. A Garmin GPSMAP 296, normally panel-mounted, was found detached from the instrument panel, clear of main wreckage, and still partly powered. Its data showed a track from 1528 hours at Duxford to 1616:53 hours, with the aircraft climbing in steps to 4,600 ft and cruising at an average groundspeed of 110 kt. The GPS stopped recording during the period the pilot was in contact with Farnborough LARS. The antenna remained serviceable, but the coaxial cable was destroyed in the post-crash fire, preventing determination of whether it had been damaged in flight.
Wreckage Analysis
The aircraft was not greatly fragmented; it struck a fence, a hedge, and the ground in a steep nose-down attitude at low forward speed. The distribution of wreckage was consistent with a spin. A fire destroyed the fuselage and left wing. The right wing separated upon impact with the fence and remained in the hedge. The largely unburnt tailplane remained attached to the burnt tailfin.