Belchamp Walter crash pilot was 'on test flight'

A pilot who died when a light aircraft crashed was on a test flight to renew its permit to fly, a report has said.

The 55-year-old man, who has not been named, was the only person on board when the Luton LA4A Minor crashed near Belchamp Walter, Essex, on 3 February.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said it was "not possible to definitively determine" the cause of the crash.

Luton LA4A Minor aircraft were designed in 1958 for amateurs to build - from drawings - with a largely wooden structure.

The plane that crashed near Belchamp Walter was first flown in 1987 and had been owned by the deceased pilot since 2011.

The AAIB report said he began operating the plane from Waits Farm Airfield in July 2012 and prior to the crash had been completing test flights to renew its permit to fly.

While climbing away from the runway on 3 February, the aircraft banked to the right and then "descended steeply" to the ground, the report said.

It added it was possible the engine stopped producing power due to "carburettor icing" [a temperature drop in the carburettor], which led to a stall it was unable to recover from.

The investigation also identified a turnbuckle barrel, which adjusts the tension or length of an aileron flight control cable, was missing.

However, it could not be determined if this had been missing before the crash.

The pilot had completed two training flights in a Piper Warrior in July and August 2018.

He also had a licence proficiency check on 25 August when he was described by the examiner as a "safe and competent pilot".

A post-mortem examination found he died of "multiple traumatic injuries".