Pilot 'unable to recover from spin' before crash

A pilot and his passenger were killed in a plane crash after he was unable to recover from performing an aerobatic manoeuvre, investigators said.

Matthew Bird, 21, from Spofforth, and Oliver Dawes, 24, of Burley in Wharfedale died when their Cessna FRA150L came down near Thorganby, between York and Selby, on the morning of 28 July 2024.

An Air Accidents Investigation Branch report said the pilot, Bird, had begun a "fully developed spin to the left" but had not been able to un-stall the wing to recover from the manoeuvre and crashed into a field.

It said the incident "highlighted how unexpectedly challenging it can be to recover from multiple turn spins".

The report said the crash had prompted the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to speak to flying schools about safety around performing spin manoeuvres.

It said Bird had recently qualified for aerobatic flying and that it was "likely that the spin recovery technique had not yet become a skill-based response".

The plane had set off from Breighton Airfield at about 08:15 BST in fine weather and the pilot had informed Humberside radar control, investigators found.

Then, at about 08:45, he began the manoeuvre which led to the crash.

The report said the last communication from the pilot was a mayday call to say the plane was "in an uncontrolled spin".

An examination of the aircraft after the incident found there were no pre-existing failures that would have prevented it from functioning normally.

Bird had begun flying in January 2021 and flew frequently from April 2024, the report added.

"The pilot's flying instructors described him as a particularly competent pilot with an enthusiastic and conscientious attitude to flying," it said.

The report said the Aircraft Flight Manual required pilots to wear a parachute during aerobatic flight, but that wearing parachutes was not a regulatory requirement and training providers suggested that it was not common practice.

Neither Bird nor Dawes were wearing parachutes.

"Following this accident, the CAA intended to promote to flying schools its safety sense leaflet and video about spin awareness and the use of parachutes," the investigators added.

They said the CAA was also considering expanding its syllabus to include psychological factors.

Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.