What aircraft was involved and where did it happen?

The accident on 2012-08-16 involved a Piper PA-38-112 Tomahawk, registration G-BODP, at Near Bruera, Cheshire, GB.

What was the probable cause of the accident?

The aircraft entered a spin at an altitude too low to allow for a successful recovery before impact.

Fatal Spin Accident Involving Piper Tomahawk Near Bruera

A training flight in a Piper PA-38-112 ended in a fatal spin and crash near Bruera, Cheshire, during slow flight exercises.

What happened

On 16 August 2012, a Piper PA-38-112 Tomahawk, registration G-BODP, was conducting a private pilot licence training flight near Bruera, Cheshire. The aircraft, operated by a local flying school, was performing slow flight exercises (Exercise 10a) with an instructor and a student on board. The flight had departed from Hawarden Airport earlier that evening.

During the flight, radar data indicated that the aircraft's track underwent a rapid 180-degree reversal. Shortly thereafter, the aircraft entered a steep, vertical descent. Eyewitnesses observed the aircraft descending at a high rate of speed, with one witness noting a vertical descent and another seeing a component falling alongside the aircraft. The aircraft struck a wheat field in a nose-down, left-wing-low attitude. Both occupants sustained fatal injuries, and the aircraft was destroyed.

The investigation

Investigators examined the wreckage and recovered components including the engine, propeller, and fuel selector. The engine showed no evidence of being under power at the moment of impact, though the investigation could not definitively rule out an engine failure occurring prior to the loss of control. The fuel system appeared functional, and there was no evidence of fuel starvation, as fuel was found in the mechanical pump.

Radar analysis from multiple stations showed the aircraft's path changed significantly in its final moments. While altitude data was unavailable from secondary radar returns, the track reversal and subsequent descent were consistent with a spin. The investigation also reviewed the instructor's experience, noting over 10,400 total flying hours, and the student's training progress.

Findings

The aircraft was in a spin when it struck the ground.
The aircraft was at an altitude where recovery from a spin would have been unlikely to be successful.
There was no evidence of mechanical failure or pilot incapacitation as a cause.
The aircraft was performing slow flight manoeuvres, which were being conducted at an altitude that may have been too low for safe recovery in the event of an inadvertent spin.