Karl Hendrickson (student pilot) and John Green (flight instructor)
Flintshire: Air crash deaths may have been caused by failed stall
A failed stalling exercise may have been responsible for a light aircraft “nose-diving” into a field killing two men.
The opening day of an inquest heard how John Green, 50, an experienced pilot with Flintshire
Flying School from Caergwrle, and his student Karl Hendrickson, 43,
from Mold, died when their Piper PA-38-112 Tomahawk plummeted to the
ground.
It crashed in Bruera, near Chester, on farmland owned by the Duke of Westminster just before 9pm on August 16, 2012.
Mr Hendrickson, an employee at Airbus in Broughton,
was described by his wife of 14 years Laura as a great lover of
planes and had begun flying lessons with the school in May that year.
He was on his eighth lesson when the accident occurred. Mr Green had been his instructor in all of them.
An investigation carried out by the Air Accidents Investigation
Branch (AAIB) revealed that the 31-year-old plane had been in a spin
when it hit the ground.
John McMillan, an investigator with the AAIB, who spent two days
examining the scene and wreckage, said that he was confident that the
aircraft was in a rotation when it landed
He said that the plane and engine – which was fitted new in March
2012 – both appeared in good condition and it had a sufficient amount
of fuel.
The inquest heard how flying school student logs showed Mr
Hendrickson had recently completed exercise 10a – slow flight – which
aims to familiarize a student with characteristics of the aircraft
close to stall. He was due to complete exercise 10b which teaches them
how to recover from a stall.
James Healy-Pratt, representing Mrs Hendrickson, questioned the AAIB
representatives over concerns raised by American experts that carrying
out such exercises in a Tomahawk could result in a spin.
Andrew Blackie, also with the AAIB, said that recommendations had
been made that manoeuvres like these should be carried out at a higher
altitude but that it was not known the exact altitude or speed of the
plane when it started to rotate.
Earlier in the inquest, Mark Petrie, owner of Flintshire Flying
School, said he had originally bought the plane for his children to
learn in.
He described it as a ‘purpose built training aircraft’ which Mr Green was very familiar with.
Mr Petrie also said that Mr Green loved his job and was extremely popular with his students.
It was pointed out that the aircraft did have dual controls and that
Mr Green, who had more than 10,000 hours flying experience, could
have taken control at any point.
The inquest continues.
Story and photo gallery: http://www.dailypost.co.uk
Piper PA-38-112 Tomahawk, G-BODP
Location: Near Bruera, Cheshire
Date of occurrence: 16 August 2012
General Aviation - Fixed Wing
Summary:
The instructor and student were conducting PPL training for slow flight aircraft handling. At an estimated height of between 2,000 and 3,000 ft, the aircraft turned rapidly through about 180° and descended at a high rate, crashing in a field. The evidence indicated that the aircraft had been in a spin to the left when it struck the surface. Both occupants were fatally injured.
A manufacturer’s revision to the Pilot’s Operating Handbook (POH), dated May 2012, included advice on the altitudes at which slow flight and stall manoeuvres should be initiated, to provide an adequate margin of safety in the event of an inadvertent spin. This revision, which related to a Safety Recommendation made by the United States of America’s National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in 1997, reached the flying school in the month following the accident.
http://www.aaib.gov.uk
NTSB Identification: CEN12WA562
Accident occurred Thursday, August 16, 2012 in Bruera, Cheshire, United Kingdom
Aircraft: PIPER PA-38-112, registration:
Injuries: 2 Fatal.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. The foreign authority was the source of this information.
On August 16, 2012, about 1940 universal coordinated time, a Piper PA-38-112 airplane, United Kingdom registration G-BODP, impacted terrain during an instructional flight near Bruera, Cheshire, United Kingdom. The flight instructor and student pilot were fatally injured. The local flight departed from Hawarden Airport (EGNR).
The accident investigation is under the jurisdiction and control of the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB). This report is for informational purposes only and contains information released by or obtained from the government of the United Kingdom.
Further information pertaining to this accident may be obtained from:
Air Accidents Investigation Branch
Farnborough House
Berkshire Copse Road
Aldershot, Hampshire
GU11 2HH, United Kingdom
Tel: +44(0) 1252 510300
Website: http://www.aaib.gov.uk
Email: enquiries@aaib.gov.uk
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