What happened
Shortly after departing from a private airfield in Cheshire, the pilot of the aircraft experienced significant issues regarding pitch control. During the flight, the pilot communicated an intention to divert the flight to Caernarfon Airport to address these technical difficulties. Approximately 20 minutes after the initial takeoff, the pilot reported the control problems.
Roughly five minutes after the diversion request, the aircraft impacted Runway 25 at Caernarfon Airport. The impact occurred at a high rate of speed, and the aircraft did not perform a visible flare maneuver prior to hitting the ground. At the time of the crash, the landing gear and flaps were in the retracted position. The impact resulted in the total destruction of the aircraft.
Findings
Investigation of the wreckage revealed that the elevator trim was set in a notably nose-down position. While investigators could not definitively establish why the trim was in this state, it is believed that this configuration likely made it extremely difficult for the pilot to manage the aircraft's pitch. Due to the severity of the fire at the crash site and a lack of available data, a definitive cause could not be confirmed with absolute certainty.
However, investigators noted that a trim runaway was a possible scenario. Following the incident, both the CAA and EASA initiated safety actions to increase industry awareness regarding the risks associated with trim runaway events.