History of the Flight
On 21 March 2011, a Reims Cessna F152 (registration G-BJKY) departed Blackpool Airport at approximately 2000 UTC for a dual night cross-country navigation training flight. The flight was part of a Private Pilot Licence night qualification for the student, who had about 60 hours of flying experience. The instructor, a 55-year-old Commercial Pilot Licence holder with 1,615 total hours (400 on type), briefed a route from Blackpool to Clitheroe, with a subsequent diversion to a nominated point.
The first three planned legs were completed in good visibility. During the leg to Clitheroe, the instructor informed the student that after Clitheroe, they would divert to Kirkby Lonsdale. The student plotted the diversion, calculated the wind-corrected heading and time, and successfully identified Clitheroe. The aircraft was turned onto the heading for Kirkby Lonsdale and climbed to a calculated safe altitude, which the instructor believed was either 2,800 or 3,000 ft amsl.
The student initially had difficulty maintaining the intended heading but later regained it. The instructor described the leg from Clitheroe as a “black hole,” with nothing visible outside. To aid navigation, he used the aircraft's single navigation receiver to obtain bearings from the Wallasey (WAL) and Pole Hill (POL) VORs, deducing that the aircraft was slightly to the right (east) of track. He then observed lights to the right, which he identified as Ingleton, and confirmed this with a rapid VOR reading.
The instructor had limited recollection of subsequent events but believed he instructed the student to turn onto a heading of approximately 300°M and descend to 2,000 ft amsl to improve ground visibility. Both crew members next regained consciousness after the aircraft had crashed on high ground near Ingleborough, North Yorkshire. They had sustained serious injuries but survived.
Search and Rescue
Using a mobile phone, the crew contacted Blackpool Air Traffic Control, which alerted the Distress and Diversion Cell at NATS Swanwick. An extensive air and ground search commenced, initially involving the Lancashire Police Air Support Unit. Radar data placed the last known position about 8 nm south of the crash site. The police unit searched lower ground but deemed higher terrain too hazardous due to weather and light conditions. An RAF Sea King search and rescue helicopter equipped with Night Vision Goggles arrived but was initially unable to reach the crew due to poor visibility and low cloud. At approximately 2330 hrs, the instructor could see the helicopter's lights, but rescue attempts were thwarted.
At about 0010 hrs, the Clapham Cave Rescue Team and the Kendal Mountain Rescue Team, using search dogs, located the wreckage and the injured crew. Both were suffering from exposure in addition to their injuries. They were carried on stretchers to a vehicle access point and admitted to hospital at 0530 hrs.
Meteorological Conditions
The UK Low Level Forecast (Metform 215) for the time of the accident predicted isolated areas of scattered or broken cloud with a base at 1,500 ft amsl, and a possibility of isolated hill fog. The actual wind at 2,000 ft amsl was calculated at 250° at 15–20 kt, compared to the planning wind of 220°/12 kt used by the crew. Moonrise was at 2148 hrs, and the moon was 97% full.
Accident Site and Wreckage
The accident site was at an elevation of approximately 1,970 ft on Ingleborough, within 0.5 nm of the summit (2,376 ft). It was 6 nm east of the direct track from Clitheroe to Kirkby Lonsdale, in an area with sparse cultural lighting. The aircraft was destroyed but did not catch fire. Examination of the wreckage revealed that the dome light, navigation lights, and beacon switches were on; the landing light switches were off. The VOR Omni Bearing Selector was set to 330°, but the frequencies on the NAV and COM radios could not be determined.
Flight Planning and Procedures
The flight was conducted under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) in Visual Meteorological Conditions (VMC) at night. The route was initially planned below 3,000 ft amsl to remain clear of the Manchester Terminal Manoeuvring Area, with the intention that north of the TMA the aircraft would maintain at least 1,000 ft above the highest obstacle within 5 nm of track. The diversion from Clitheroe to Kirkby Lonsdale was 21 nm on a track of 343°M.
Civil Aviation Publication (CAP) 393 requires that aircraft flying at night outside a control zone be flown in accordance with IFR. IFR stipulates a minimum height of 1,000 ft above the highest obstacle within 5 nm, unless the aircraft is below 3,000 ft amsl, remains clear of cloud, has the surface in sight, and flight visibility is at least 800 metres.