During my time as a serving RAF QFI (now over thirty years ago) I became a member of a local flying club and was offered a flight in a homebuilt aerobatic biplane aircraft, by an acquaintance I had met there. I had no idea what his flying experience was, but I knew the (immaculately presented) aircraft was built and jointly owned by him, he was the main user and that that he flew competition aerobatics in it. I gladly took him up on the offer but I remember feeling slightly uncomfortable on realising that sitting in the front cockpit I was just behind the main fuel tank and watched the fuel slosh up and down in the clear tubing sight glass "gauge". Once airborne he gave me control and kindly offered me the opportunity to fly my aerobatic sequence. Being used to RAF rules, (and not to his aircraft) I climbed to about 4,000 feet, did my basic aeros sequence, but then ceased at a base height of the transition level plus the height of the ground, which was 3500' AMSL. He found that quite amusing and said he seldom flew that high during competitions. He took control, descended well below that and began his own sequence, which he repeated a couple of times and we finished at about 800 feet. He flew very well and I was reasonably happy with that.
However, the next time I was at the flying club, just a few days later, I helped him push the aircraft out of the hangar. I said I would buy him a beer after he'd flown. He then flew off with his girlfriend on a local flight but tragically they never came back. I had become concerned by twilight because the airfield was not equipped for night flying so I began asking questions as to their whereabouts and well being. While the duty instructor was on the case, the local police rang the club to tell us that an aircraft had crashed a few miles away and one occupant was deceased, the other badly injured - so did we have an aircraft missing? It was them. My acquaintance was killed and his girlfriend survived but unfortunately was badly burned.
I visited the crash scene the following day. The aircraft was just a bare skeleton. I discovered that my friend had been sitting in the same seat that I'd flown in. The AAIB investigation found that it was possible that a loose article had caused a control jam after the aircraft had entered a spin; a pair of ladies sunglasses and an AA battery were found in the rear remains of the aircraft. I was the last occupant of the front seat but the objects (I am relieved to know) definitely had nothing to do with me - I had emptied my pockets before flight, as I was very well used to doing in my day job and definitely never wore ladies sunglasses! I later spoke to the survivor in hospital and learned that as the second pilot in the rear seat with very few hours she had been persuaded to attempt a stall turn at 1,000 feet and it flicked into a spin; she had no experience of spin recoveries. I also found out from the AAIB report that the first pilot had no instructor rating and far less experience than myself. It was a desperately tragic accident and in different circumstances I might have been sitting in that front seat but this was definitely a case of Swiss cheese and holes. However, recalling it still hits hard, even to this day.
