Inquest report from
BBC News:
Manoeuvre blamed for plane deaths
A student pilot and his instructor died when their plane crashed as they attempted a manoeuvre now banned in training, an inquest heard on Monday.
Francois De Lavergne, 49, of Milton Keynes, and Michael McKechnie, 43, of Passenham, Bucks, died after flying out of Turweston Airfield, Bucks, last May.
Air accident investigators said it was thought a manoeuvre known as oscillatory stalling was to blame.
The jury returned verdicts of accidental death on both men.
Mr McKechnie was about a quarter of the way through training for a private pilot's licence when he and instructor Francois De Lavergne, crash landed in a wheat field in their two-seater Slingsby Firefly plane.
Stalling simulated
The inquest at Northampton General Hospital heard witnesses saw the aircraft spinning and spiralling towards the ground with little or no engine noise.
An oscillatory stall, the jury heard, is when a wing of the plane is made to drop to simulate a stall in the aeroplane. It produces a move similar to a spin, but which is more difficult to rescue.
AAIB inspectors agreed the oscillatory stall was "unnecessary and inappropriate" and should not be taught to novice pilots.
New guidance from the Civil Aviation Authority now states it is not to be taught to new pilots.
Inspectors found there were no engineering problems with the Firefly or with the engine.
'Tragic death'
Mr McKechnie's wife Karen said in a statement: "The verdict of the inquest has highlighted that the oscillatory stalling exercise is inappropriate and unnecessary for students training for their private pilots' licence.
"We welcome the new accepted recommendation that flying instructors do not include oscillatory stalling in flying exercises in the future.
"Mike was much loved by his family and friends and we were all devastated by his tragic death at the age of 43.
"However, we take comfort from the fact that tragic accidents such as this may be avoided in the future."
RC