Flight History
The aircraft, a Mooney M20J registered G-EKMW, was used by the pilot for weekend commuting between mainland UK and Jersey. Six days before the accident, it had been flown from Fowlmere, Cambridgeshire to Jersey and parked on grass. The evening before the flight, the pilot taxied it onto hardstanding, refuelled it with 63 litres of AVGAS 100LL (total fuel approximately 230 litres), filed an airways flightplan, and stowed baggage.
On 16 October 2004, at 0733 hrs, the pilot requested start clearance from air traffic control. After taxiing to holding point A1, he took off from asphalt Runway 27 (1,645 m) at 0746 hrs. Shortly after departure, he transmitted: 'GOLF MIKE WHISKEY EMERGENCY PAN MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY RUNNING ROUGH RUNNING ROUGH'. The tower controller cleared him to land and reported wind 280/12 kt. The aircraft then impacted ground in a shallow valley below runway elevation, just short of the airfield boundary, and caught fire. The pilot sustained fatal injuries.
Witness Observations
Witnesses reported hearing two distinctive 'pops' from the engine, like backfiring, followed by spluttering that possibly ceased before impact. The aircraft climbed to approximately 300 ft and began a left turn. The turn was initially level, but after about 90° of turn, the nose rose slightly, then the left wing dropped, followed by the nose. The aircraft entered a dive and rotated slowly, with no sign of recovery.
Weather and Terrain
A meteorological observation at 0750 hrs recorded surface wind 290°/12 kt, visibility greater than 10 km, a broken layer of cumulonimbus base 1,600 ft, and temperature +10°C. The previous week had seen significantly heavier rainfall than average. Jersey Airport lies at 274 ft amsl; terrain west of Runway 27 drops steeply, offering few forced landing sites. The tide was in, preventing a beach landing.
Wreckage Examination
The aircraft struck the upward-sloping side of a gulley approximately 200 m left of the far end of Runway 27. Impact heading was about 170°M, with a pitch of approximately 10° below the horizon (40° nose down relative to terrain). The impact speed was estimated to be above 80 kt. The engine was forced rearwards and upwards, crushing the forward section to the wing spars. Debris distribution indicated left rotational momentum, consistent with a spiral descent. Both wing fuel tanks ruptured, causing a severe post-impact fire. The propeller showed one undamaged blade and one with slight rotational scoring, suggesting the engine was stopped or at very low power at impact.
Engine Examination
Initial inspection revealed extensive impact damage to the mechanical fuel pump, propeller governor, magneto, and fuel injector housing. The induction seals could not be assessed due to deformation. Spark plugs appeared normal. The propeller shaft was bent, but the crankshaft turned with stiffness. A defect was found in the engine's dual magneto, which had recently been refitted following a 500-hour inspection. This defect affected both ignition systems, leading to a loss of power and misfiring consistent with witness reports. Issues concerning quality control of maintenance activities and maintenance data were identified.
Pathology
The pilot died from multiple injuries. No evidence of disease, drugs, or alcohol was found. Toxicological analysis raised a possibility of elevated carbon monoxide in muscle tissue, but the pathologist concluded the level would not have produced symptoms or performance decrement at low altitude.
Airfield Accident Response
After the aircraft disappeared from view, ATC alerted the Rescue and Fire Fighting Service (RFFS) with proximate location information. The watch commander dispatched one fire appliance via Emergency Access Gate 4 to a nearby café area. When no accident site was found, a second appliance was sent from within the airfield. It proceeded along Bravo Taxiway to holding point Bravo 2, became visual with the site, and reached it via a maintenance gate and public road, extinguishing the fire. Communication was via hand-held radios, occasionally relayed.