Originally Posted by
Whopity
Yet another sad CFIT event. Speculation and irrelevant aircraft tracks don't help.
Conditions are VMC. VFR are Rules!
CFIT usually is! Witnesses reported it flew into a tree.
Familiarity does not help if you can't see.
But ATC had lost contact with them at 1240!
Whilst you are waiting for more factual information you might like to read
CAA Safety Sense Leaflet 23 Para 6 describes circumstances which match this accident perfectly. There was an almost identical event last January on the Chiltern Hills.
I've done enough flying in poor visibility to know what is high risk and what isn't but in this case CFIT is not an automatic cause there are other possibilities.
They hit a tree but we're they "in control"
The instructor probably flew on the area every week he knew hill was there
ATC were tracking them before the crash, they have the track and flight details and maybe some RT.
If they were attempting an instruction flight under VFR rules I would want to know what minimums the Flying school operate to AND do they enforce them, this is not a private pilot risking his own neck it is a Flying School, which is a responsible and accountable organization.
I do know a lot more about the circumstances of the flight that cause me concern, they will be made public when the AAIB report.