Aerobatics pilot killed in crash 'would make any excuse to fly'

The widow of an experienced aerobatics pilot killed when his plane crashed in Norfolk last year has said he was devoted to flying and would do anything to be up in the air.

Elaine Jenkins' comments came in a statement read out at her husband David's inquest in Norwich.

Mr Jenkins, a retired electronics engineer from Stanton in Suffolk, died last year at Old Buckenham airfield.

His wife said he had always been interested in flying and took lessons when the couple moved to California in the 1980s.

The 61-year-old gained his UK pilot's licence when they returned to Britain and became so good that he was twice a British champion in advanced aerobatics.

He represented Britain and was highly regarded around the world.

Mr Jenkins joined the Wildcats aerobatics team in 2013 and his wife said he "would make any excuse to fly".

Earlier on the day he died, the pilot had been a passenger in an RAF Tornado, flying from Marham.

Mr Jenkins had a medical before that flight and no concerns about his health had been raised.

He died when his Edge 360 came down while he was doing an aerobatic manoeuvre above Old Buckenham airfield.

A post mortem revealed he had a serious and previously undiagnosed heart condition.

According to a statement from Wing Commander Graham Maidment, Mr Jenkins would have been unaware of the blood clot during his flight but he said it was plausible that it might have had a significant effect and impaired his performance.

Al Coutts - a member of the Wildcats team - described Mr Jenkins as a very gifted pilot. Talking about his Marham flight, he said: "David was as happy as I've ever seen him."

He also said he was capable of recovering from any manoeuvre he was carrying out.

Kenneth Fairbank from the Air Accident Investigation Branch said there were no defects with Mr Jenkins' plane and it had been well maintained.

His conclusion was that Mr Jenkins was flying more slowly than he should have been in the manoeuvre he was carrying out.

Mr Fairbank felt that his Tornado flight may have influenced his acceptance of risk because it was surprising he was involved in a complicated tumbling manoeuvre, given he had not had much recent practice.

The inquest jury concluded Mr Jenkins death was accidental, contributed to by natural disease.

Read more: Stunt plane champ who died in air crash had undiagnosed heart problem.