Beccles air crash: Pilot's death accidental, inquest finds

The death of an 87-year-old pilot in a light aircraft crash was accidental, an inquest jury concluded.

Peter Walker, from Lincoln, died from multiple traumatic injuries in the crash at Beccles Aerodrome in Suffolk on 24 March last year.

Although not a factor in Mr Walker's death, the court heard of concerns about a lack of medical guidance for the recertification for pilots over 70.

The coroner said he would write a prevention of future deaths report.

Mr Walker, a retired engineer, was regarded as an "experienced" pilot, the jury in Ipswich heard.

He set off from Temple Bruer airstrip in Lincolnshire, close to RAF Cranwell, in a two-seater Flight Design CT2K aircraft.

He suffered no medical episode that contributed to the crash and his age was not deemed to be a factor, the inquest was told.

Mr Walker attempted to land twice, with witnesses saying the aircraft "bounced" off the runway on both attempts and appeared "unstable" at times.

After the second bounce, the aircraft was seen to veer off to the left and is thought to have suffered an aerodynamic stall, where airflow around the wings is restricted, resulting in a lack of lift.

Witnesses said they believed Mr Walker was attempting a "go around", whereby he needed to use the throttle to get back into the air before circling to attempt a third landing.

However, no witnesses could remember hearing engine or propeller noise indicative of such an attempt.

The aircraft reached about 100-200ft off the ground before it "nosedived" into a field next to the runway at about 13:55 GMT.

One witness called the crash scene "one of complete devastation".

Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any pre-accident defects and investigators were unable to say definitively if he tried to use the throttle, the inquest heard.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said its investigation highlighted a lack of medical guidance for pilots and medical professionals who use the Pilot Medical Declaration - where pilots can self-declare their fitness without input from a GP.

Alongside this, the AAIB made a recommendation to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to assess the appropriateness of those issued with microlight licences before February 2008 to revalidate their licence without logging any hours with an instructor.

Suffolk's senior coroner Nigel Parsley said he would include the safety recommendations made by the AAIB in a prevention of future deaths report to be sent to the Department for Transport.

He said there had been no evidence to suggest age was a factor in Mr Walker's crash, but that the issues raised by the AAIB may pose a risk of future deaths.

The CAA said it had received the report and recommendations from the AAIB and would "be studying the recommendations to decide the best way forward".

The Department for Transport said it would "consider the coroner's prevention of future deaths report and respond in due course".

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