Teesside Airport crash: Report finds plane suffered 'partial loss of power' and left three injured
A pilot was left fighting for his life in hospital after the plane he was flying partially lost power and crashed to the ground, a report has found.
Three people were seriously injured when the light aircraft fell hundreds of feet after take-off at Teesside Airport last September.
Flights were diverted and delayed in the immediate aftermath as the airport closed to allow emergency services to deal with the incident.
Onlookers described hearing a "thud" as the aircraft hit the ground and at least one of those injured was initially left in a critical condition.
An official report by the Government's Air Accidents Investigation Branch has now been published into the circumstances surrounding the crash.
It concluded that the aircraft suffered a partial loss of engine power shortly after take off and the pilot, believing the aircraft was outside the airport boundary, attempted a 'turnback' to the airport to land.
However, the report found the plane stalled during the turn and plunged downwards, striking the ground west of the runway near Runway 5.
All three people in the aircraft suffered serious injuries, including the pilot who was in hospital for several months.
Witnesses described the aircraft engine sounding unusual shortly after take-off and the pilot recalled it was around 400ft when the engine lost power as he lowered the pitch attitude to maintain speed.
The report stated: "Believing he was outside the airfield boundary the pilot commenced a turn to return to the airport.
"As it came into view, he realised he had insufficient height to reach the runway and chose a green area in which to land stating 'it looked good enough to land. Good area. I put it down there'.
"His recollection was of flaring the aircraft to control the touchdown and that the stall warner sounded just before touchdown."
The report continued that he would "not normally consider a turnback" but he had practised the manoeuvre three times in the year before the crash.
It also stated: "When asked about the option of landing ahead on the remaining runway, the pilot said that with the aircraft close to maximum take off weight, he felt he would have used a considerable length of runway to get airborne and climb to the height he recalled reaching.
"He therefore considered that landing ahead on the runway remaining was not an option.
"The aircraft had struck the ground with its left wingtip and, following a significant nose impact, had then rotated approximately 180°, coming to rest 11 m beyond the main impact ground scar."
Three safety recommendations have since been made relating to pilot training for "partial engine power loss events".The recommendations are:
that the UK Civil Aviation Authority provide detailed guidance on techniques for managing partial power loss situations and to promote their use by instructors and examiners when conducting training for a rating revalidation in single-engine fixed-wing aeroplanes.
that the UK Civil Aviation Authority require novice pilots to undergo training in the management of partial power loss situations in single‑engine fixed-wing aeroplanes.
that the UK Civil Aviation Authority updates its General Aviation safety promotions to
include information for pilots regarding techniques for managing partial power loss situations in single-engine fixed‑wing aeroplanes.
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