Date:	Friday 10 September 2021
Time:	11:42 LT
Type:	Cessna 172S
Owner/operator:	Garry Price t/a Skytrek Air Services
Registration:	G-CFIO
MSN:	172S9079
Year of manufacture:	2002
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Category:	Accident
Location:	Tar Pot Lane, Ruckinge, near Bilsington, Ashford, Kent -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Private
Departure airport:	Rochester Airport (RCS/EGTO)
Destination airport:
Confidence Rating:	Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities

Narrative:
The aircraft crashed in a field between Ruckinge and Bilsington, not far from Ashford in Kent. The pilot was pronounced dead at the scene.

UPDATE: The Daily Mail (18 February 2022) reported on the Inquest into the death of the pilot. In short, the pilot's death was ruled by the Coroner as a "suicide", and that the Cessna 172 was deliberately crashed by the pilot, as he intended to take his life. The pilot had been diagnosed with terminal cancer, and was told that he had three months left to live. The Coroner stated that the pilot therefore chose to end his life "on his own terms", before cancer claimed him. The full Daily Mail report was as follows:

"Cancer-stricken professor, 64, stole a plane from flight instructor before purposely crashing it into a field in Kent to kill himself after being given just three months to live

- Dr Christopher Woollard had a pre-arranged flying lesson on September 10
- Ex-university lecturer accelerated and took off from runway without warning
- Told instructor over radio he intended to kill himself and gave his bank details

A cancer-stricken professor stole a plane before deliberately crashing it into a field to kill himself after being given just three months to live. Dr Christopher Woollard, 64, took the light aircraft from a flight instructor after his terminal diagnosis specifically with the intention of crashing it, an inquest heard.

After taking off he spoke to the instructor over the radio, revealing he intended to kill himself before handing over his bank details to pay for any damage. A keen trainee pilot, he had just under 75 hours of flying under his belt and about four hours flying solo since starting in March 2019.

The inquest at the Archbishop's Palace in Maidstone heard Dr Woollard's flying instructor had given him the keys to conduct pre-flight checks as a normal part of training. However, after conducting the regular checks, he got into the plane and started taxiing towards the runway, radioing air traffic control and asking to speak to his instructor.

Waiting for his instructor to radio him back, the retired university lecturer in computer science accelerated and took off without warning.

Investigating officer DS Jay Barrett said that over the radio, he informed those listening that he had been diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer and had been given three months to live. He then gave his instructor access to his bank accounts to pay back damages for the plane, said he wished to kill himself, saying that he would find an unpopulated area to crash. It is believed he then shut his radio and the plane's tracking system off.

A large-scale search was launched, with the RAF distress and diversion unit drafted in to find the plane, locating it over the water just east of Lydd and south of Folkestone at about 10.44am. Just before noon, the plane, a Cessna 172 Skyhawk, came down in a field between Ruckinge and Bilsington on Romney Marsh in a 'descending left turn', striking a hedge and crashing into the ground.

A passerby, Colin Bodie, was travelling near the area after noon when he spotted the wreckage of the plane nearby. Mr Bodie, his niece and her partner managed to pull Dr Woollard out of the cockpit to try and give him first aid while phoning the emergency services, but he was declared dead at 12.44pm. Investigators searched his home in Sidcup, Kent and found his will left on his kitchen table.

Assistant coroner Katrina Hepburn said: 'On the balance of probability it is far more likely than not that when Dr Woollard took the plane down in the field he intended to take his own life'. Ruling the death a suicide, Ms Hepburn said: 'I would like to offer everyone my most sincere condolences for this loss.'

UPDATE: The AAIB Final report was published on 14 April 2022, and concurred that the crash was deliberate, and the death of the pilot was a suspected suicide (see link #18 for the full report)...

"AAIB investigation to Cessna 172S, G-CFIO: Suspected suicide, field off Tar Pot Lane, Ruckinge, Kent, 10 September 2021.

At 09:58 hrs on 10 September 2021, without permission from the operator or clearance from the air traffic radio operator, a student pilot took off from Rochester Airport in G-CFIO. The aircraft was later observed to enter a steep descent to the left before it struck the ground in a field adjacent to Tar Pot Lane near Ruckinge in Kent. The pilot did not survive the accident.

Immediately prior to taking off, the pilot had reported over the aircraft radio that he had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and indicated that he intended to deliberately crash the aircraft. The pilot had not declared his diagnosis to the doctor who issued his aviation medical certificate".

Cessna G-CFIO was ex-N5104Y (US Registry), and was re-registered in the UK as G-CFIO on 17 July 2008. Registration G-CFIO was cancelled as "destroyed" on 29 March 2022

1. https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/man-killed-light-aircraft-crash-5900141
2. https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/breaking-man-killed-light-aircraft-24870993
3. https://www.kentonline.co.uk/ashford/news/man-dies-in-light-aircraft-crash-253730/
4. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/accident-involving-a-light-aircraft-in-ashford-kent-10-september-2021
5. https://www.itv.com/news/meridian/2021-09-10/man-dies-in-plane-crash-in-kent
6. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/kent-light-aircraft-crash-missing-plane-b954744.html
7. https://kent999.co.uk/breaking/news-241433/man-dies-in-plane-crash-in-ashford-an-investigation-has-been-launched/
8. https://forums.flyer.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=119596
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilsington
10. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10526997/Cancer-stricken-professor-64-purposely-crashed-plane.html
11. https://www.kentonline.co.uk/ashford/news/pilot-died-after-crashing-stolen-plane-on-purpose-262629/
12. https://www.kent.gov.uk/births-ceremonies-and-deaths/deaths/deaths-reported-to-the-coroner/north-east-kent-inquests
13. https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/17696913/professor-cancer-stole-plane-crashed-suicide-inquest/
14. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/02/18/professor-terminal-cancer-committed-suicide-crashing-stolen/
15. https://forums.flyer.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=120730
16. https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1568325/kent-news-terminally-ill-professor-stole-crashed-aircraft
17. AAIB - Current field investigations 10 Sep 2021, G-CFIO, CESSNA 172S: Fatal accident near Ruckinge, Kent Under investigation: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/aaib-current-field-investigations/air-accidents-investigation-branch-current-field-investigations
18. AAIB Final Report: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6257d9f9d3bf7f6002963952/Cessna_172S_G-CFIO_04-22.pdf

Full details surrounding a light aircraft crash in #Ashford are still emerging https://t.co/S6ZZVVzS7Q pic.twitter.com/2twcAB1frO

— KentLive (@kentlivenews) September 10, 2021

An accident in the Ashford, Kent area involving a light aircraft has been notified to the AAIB. An investigation has been launched and a multidisciplinary team of inspectors are on their way to the accident site. https://t.co/1ptiUNyF14 pic.twitter.com/7goauQHmKv

— AAIB (@aaibgovuk) September 10, 2021

G-CFIO Cessna 172S Skyhawk SP @ Rochester 24/08/2017: Cessna 172S G-CFIO Flying Over Alton, Hampshire 26.5.2021:

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
10-Sep-2021 13:19	gerard57	Added
10-Sep-2021 14:01	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Location, Source, Narrative, Category]
10-Sep-2021 14:06	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative, Category]
10-Sep-2021 16:16	Anon.	Updated [Aircraft type]
10-Sep-2021 19:06	Aerossurance	Updated [Location, Source, Embed code, Narrative]
11-Sep-2021 14:58	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Location, Source, Embed code, Narrative]
12-Sep-2021 16:14	Aerossurance	Updated [Location, Embed code, Narrative]
14-Sep-2021 14:14	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Aircraft type, Departure airport, Source]
25-Oct-2021 17:56	Anon.	Updated [Category]
18-Feb-2022 21:54	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Location, Source, Narrative]
19-Feb-2022 17:55	K.Herpe OAN	Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Source]
19-Feb-2022 21:42	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator, Source, Embed code, Narrative]
25-Mar-2022 17:27	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Embed code, Narrative]
29-May-2022 18:40	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Location, Source, Narrative]
01-Jun-2022 21:11	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]