Plane crash at stately home caused by soft runway

Alice Cunningham - BBC News, Suffolk
·2 min read

An aircraft crash which left a pilot seriously injured was likely caused by turbulent weather softening the grass runway, a report has found,

The incident happened on 6 July last year at Heveningham Hall estate near Walpole in Suffolk, ahead of the Heveningham Country Fair.

The Grumman FM2 aircraft, known as a Wildcat, was one of 13 historic planes that were part of a fly-in and static display for the event that was due to be held.

An Air Accidents Investigation Branch report found the weight of the aircraft "caused its narrow, high-pressure mainwheel tyres to sink into the soft runway surface" causing it to flip over onto its back.

Heveningham Hall in Suffolk
The crash at Heveningham Hall happened while the pilot was trying to land [Guy Campbell/BBC]

The plane rapidly decelerated on landing, causing it to topple forwards onto its nose with the propeller blades striking the ground. It then tipped over onto its back.

The 63-year-old pilot, who had 4,238 hours of flying experience, found himself upside down with fuel leaking into the cockpit.

He turned off the electrics of the aircraft before taking off his helmet to use it to break through some of the canopy's glass to escape.

"The crusty surface of the runway, on top of the soft sub-surface, was probably a result of the wet weather conditions in the weeks prior to the event, followed by warm dry weather in the days prior to the accident," the report said.

"This was undetected, despite the runway being checked in accordance with the guidance available."

According to the report, the pilot had flown over 110 different types of aircraft and had landed other types of planes at the event previously.

While it was his first time landing the Wildcat, he told investigators there had been no mention of the runway being potentially soft.

Additional measures

Event organisers have said they plan to implement additional measures for the future.

This includes a risk assessment of the runway as well as ensuring there is a nominated, suitably qualified and experienced person to coordinate aviation operations.

As well as this there will be firefighting and lifting equipment available at the runway.

Follow Suffolk news on Facebook, Instagram and X. Got a story? Email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 0800 169 1830

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