ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 188140
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| Date: | Wednesday 31 July 1996 |
| Time: | 14:05 |
| Type: |  Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee |
| Owner/operator: | Fyer-Robins Aviation Ltd |
| Registration: | G-BCIF |
| MSN: | 28-7425325 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Dunkirk Airstrip, between Faversham and Canterbury, Kent -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Dunkirk Airstrip, between Faversham and Canterbury, Kent |
| East Midlands Airport (EMA/EGMX) | |
| Investigating agency: | AAIB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee G-BCIF: Written off (destroyed) 31-7-1996 when crashed on take off from Dunkirk Airstrip, between Faversham and Canterbury, Kent; aircraft caught fire on impact. The pilot was killed, but possibly was dead from a cardiac arrest before the crash impact; the passenger escaped from the wreckage with minor injuries. According to the following extract from the official AAIB report into the accident:
"The take off commenced at about 14:00 hours, the engine noise and initial acceleration of the aircraft appeared to be normal, and as the aircraft approached the brow of the up-slope, the nose wheel oleo was seen to extend. Shortly after entering the final 600 feet of level runway, dust and gravel were seen behind the main wheels as if the brakes had been applied, with more debris apparent from the left main wheel.
There was no coincident reduction in the engine noise, suggesting that this was not an attempt to abandon the take off. Tyre marks on the gravel surface at this point indicated a number of brake applications with an attendant change of heading to the left of about 5 degrees; there was no indication from the tyre marks of any subsequent attempt by the pilot either to regain or to parallel the runway centre-line.
This change of heading meant that the left main wheel was on the grass edge of the runway when the aircraft reached the upwind threshold. Eyewitnesses noted that during the final 400 feet or so the main wheels appeared to bounce on the runway surface, indicating that the aircraft had probably attained flying speed, but there was no attempt to rotate to the normal take-off attitude.
At the end of the runway surface, the ground fell away sharply into the road cutting, and as the aircraft entered this, on a ballistic trajectory, the pilot slumped forward from the waist and fell against the control column. This was the first indication to the passenger that the pilot had a problem.
The passenger then attempted to pull the control column back but was unable to do so because of the pilots body weight; shortly afterwards he was aware of an increasing angle of bank to the left which he was also unable to correct. Eye witnesses noted the increasing angle of bank to the left and also commented on a reduction in engine power "as if the throttle had been pulled back"; the passenger could not remember adjusting the throttle.
The aircraft clipped a tree on the far side of the road, and this caused the deviation of bank angle to the left; it then hit the ground in dense woodland and caught fire almost immediately. After impact the passenger realised that he was hanging upside-down in his diagonal harness assembly and that a fire had started on the pilot's side of the cockpit. He shouted to the pilot and shook him but received no response. He then undid his own harness, fell to the ground and crawled away from the aircraft which was now blazing.
At this stage 2 men who had seen the accident arrived on the scene. The first checked the passenger for injuries and subsequently carried him further away from the blazing wreck."
ADDITIONAL:
The following is from a contemporary local newspaper (East Kent Gazette - Wednesday 18 December 1996) which reported on the Coroner's Inquest into the death of the pilot...
"Heart theory over tragic pilot
THE pensioner pilot killed in a light aircraft crash at Dunkirk in July must have suffered an irregular heartbeat before the plane plunged into woodland off the A2 Boughton by-pass, a jury has decided.
An inquest at Canterbury heard on Thursday that Roy Le Poidevin (70), from Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, had slumped over the control panel of the Piper Cherokee as the plane took off from Canterbury Airfield. His passenger, Kenneth Ledger (74), scrambled free from the wreckage in dense undergrowth, but Mr Le Poidevin burned to death. The jury returned a verdict of accidental death. The cause of death was given as burning, with a secondary cause of a cardiac arhythmia.
Kent Coroner Richard Sturt said he would be recommending bravery awards for rescuers lorry driver Gary Johnson (33), from Huntingdon, and Lance Cpl Andrew Randle, of Howe Barracks, Canterbury. The two men left their vehicles on the A2 and plunged into undergrowth, tracking Mr Ledger's cries for help. They dragged him clear of the burning wreckage, and Mr Johnson returned to the wreckage after being told there were still two people on board.
Airfield manager Gordon Jenner, of Abbey Street, Faversham, said that although Mr Le Poidevin had never visited the strip before, he had made a perfect landing. Mr Jenner watched him taxi but became concerned when the plane did not take off despite being in full power. It braked twice. He saw the plane roll over the end of the runway into a valley before flying across the road at between 50 and 70 feet. Despite climbing rapidly with its nose in the air, the aircraft's left wing struck a tree, spun round and dived into woodland.
"I heard a dull thud, and black smoke came up immediately," Mr Jenner said.
In a written statement Mr Ledger, from Nuttall, Nottinghamshire, said Mr Le Poidevin had slumped forward on take off. He was unable to move the controls. Mr Ledger said he believed Mr Le Poidevin, who had held s pilot's licence since 1980, was already dead when the plane crashed.
A retired managing director of his family's business, Mr Le Poidevin was described as a very experienced and meticulous pilot who always carried out flight procedures to the letter.
RAF pathologist Dr Henry Drysdale said a post-mortem examination had revealed no evidence of natural disease.
The medical examination for the renewal of Mr Le Poidevin's pilot's licence in 1993 shows a slight irregular heartbeat for which he was referred to a consultant for further tests. Ultimate tests were entirely normal and his licence was renewed.
Analysis showed no alcohol or drugs in his blood".
Damage sustained to airframe: Per the AAIB report "Aircraft destroyed". As a result, the registration G-BCIF was cancelled by the CAA on 13-12-1996 as "destroyed"
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
1. Irish Independent - Thursday 1 August 1996
2. East Kent Gazette - Wednesday 18 December 1996
3. AAIB: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5422fb3940f0b613460008a9/dft_avsafety_pdf_502130.pdf
4. CAA: https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-BCIF.pdf
5. https://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/G-BCIF.html
6. https://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=17493.0
7. https://forums.flyer.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=98344
8. https://forums.flyer.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=76963
9. https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/location/Canterbury%20-%20Dunkirk%20Airfield
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 14-Jun-2016 23:58 | Dr.John Smith | Added |
| 15-Jun-2016 00:02 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Total fatalities, Narrative] |
| 15-Jun-2016 11:06 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 17-Nov-2020 20:35 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, Accident report] |
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