Stunt plane champ who died in air crash had undiagnosed heart problem

David Jenkins was one of the country's top aerobatic pilots. Credit: Bury Free Press.

A former British aerobatics champion pilot killed at a Norfolk airfield when his stunt plane suddenly spiralled into the ground was suffering from a serious but undiagnosed heart condition, an inquiry into the accident has revealed.

A report by the Air Accident Investigation Branch published today revealed that 61-year-old Mr Jenkins - a double advanced aerobatics British champion - had a blood clot that could have led to his collapse or death at any time but that he had been unaware of the problem.

It is thought Mr Jenkins lost control of his Edge 360 aircraft after he became incapacitated and was unable to recognise the rapidly deteriorating situation or respond to it and crashed.

The air ambulance were called to the scene. Credit: ITV Anglia.

The accident last April happened at Old Buckenham Airfield as pilots went through their routines on a Press Day before an annual flying show.

Mr Jenkins had been a member of the Wildcat Aerobatic Team based at Old Buckenham which also operats high-performance Pitts Specials aircraft, since 2013.