ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 181860
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| Date: | Thursday 11 September 1986 |
| Time: | 17:06 |
| Type: |  Grumman American AA-5A Cheetah |
| Owner/operator: | Amalgamated Airways |
| Registration: | G-BFTE |
| MSN: | AA5A-0658 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Mulberry Corner, Castle Lane, Chandlers Ford, Hampshire -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Training |
| Departure airport: | Southampton Airport, Eastleigh, Hampshire (SOU/EGHI) |
| Investigating agency: | AAIB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On 11 September 1986 the pilot of Grumman AA-5 Cheetah G-BFTE was authorised to spend an hour solo flying circuits of Eastleigh Airfield. After four such circuits, he then flew away to the north, at low level, and when over Chandler's Ford he turned to port, opened the throttle and the Cheetah dived into the ground, at the rear of a community centre at Mulberry Corner in Castle Lane, at high speed. The Cheetah hit the ground almost vertically with enough force to create a five foot deep crater. The pilot was killed on impact. The Cheetah burst into flames, which not only consumed it but spread to and consumed the community centre.
An examination of the wreckage revealed no pre-impact defect to the aeroplane or its engine. The crash was a deliberate act. (A suicide note was found in his clothing). At his inquest, at Winchester on 1 December 1986, a verdict of suicide was returned by the coroner. According to a local contemporary report:
"Mulberry Corner had a chequered early history, being struck by a light aircraft in the autumn of 1986. This had been deliberately crashed into it by an emotionally disturbed pilot who was killed in the crash. The structural damage and resulting fire meant that the building needed to be largely rebuilt".
Damage to airframe: As confirmed by the AAIB report "aircraft destroyed". as a result, the registration G-BFTE was cancelled by the CAA on 23 September 1987 (one year and 18 days later) as "destroyed"
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
1. AAIB: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5422f92340f0b6134600078b/Grumman_AA-5A__G-BFTE__01-87.pdf
2. CAA: https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-BFTE.pdf
3. http://ezinearticles.com/?Learning-to-Fly---You-Will-Never-Forget-Your-First-Solo-Flight&id=2723515
4. http://www.hampshireairfields.co.uk/hancrash.html
5. http://www.stfrancis-valleypark.org.uk/our-church/parish-history/
6. https://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=17568.0
7. https://benlovegrove.com/from-trial-flight-to-ppl-private-pilots-licence/
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 30-Nov-2015 23:28 | Dr.John Smith | Added |
| 30-Nov-2015 23:53 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 30-Nov-2015 23:58 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 30-Nov-2015 23:59 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 01-Dec-2015 00:24 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 15-Nov-2020 18:28 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Source, Narrative, Accident report] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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