Mystery over replica Spitfire fatal crash - report

The cause of a replica Spitfire crash in which the pilot died is unclear, an inquiry has found.

The aircraft came down in a field beside the A44 near Enstone, Oxfordshire, shortly after 15:00 BST on 22 August 2023.

The sole occupant, 68-year-old Trevor Bailey from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, was pronounced dead at the scene.

A medical cause could not be ruled out, while defects found on the plane were "not considered to be a causal factor", the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said.

The kit-built plane, completed in 2019, was on a test flight when it entered a spin, hit the ground and burst into flames.

Mr Bailey, an experienced pilot, died before the fire took hold, the AAIB found.

Its report concluded: "The aircraft was found to have been built with a misaligned fin and rudder.

"This misalignment made a wing drop at the stall more likely, but it did not prevent or restrict a recovery from the stall nor any subsequent spin or spiral dive that might develop.

"There was sufficient height for a recovery from a spin or spiral dive."

Investigators said Mr Bailey's medical history indicated the possibility of an "incapacitation" but this could not be confirmed.

Previously, his four children said their "lives will never be the same" after the loss of "our hero".

In a tribute posted on social media, his wife, Kate Dove, said: "He lost his life following his passion."

Enstone Flying Club skipper Paul Fowler described Mr Bailey as a "great aerobatic pilot [and] formation pilot" who would be "really missed in the aviation community".

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