Originally Posted by
horatio_b
Just to correct the information regarding the accident to G-ARDA. There were two occupants both of whom were killed. According to a statement made by Russell Whyham in hospital after the crash, the student had "rammed the trimmer like a mad thing" causing the plane to stall from a low height back onto the runway.
You are correct about the two fatalities. Some more info from the BoT's annual accidents report:
"Shortly after becoming airborne on a check flight, the aircraft was seen to "porpoise" and then dive steeply to the ground. The report on the investigation states that the accident resulted from misuse of the trimmer by the pilot-under-supervision, at a low altitude after take-off. It is also stated that it is likely that the steepness of the final dive, and failure to pull out in time, could have resulted from the additive effects of pushing against full nose-up trim and, at the same time, reversing the elevator trim to fully nose-down. Some negative 'g' would accompany the resulting downward pitch manoeuvre, and this would tend to confuse a pilot not expecting it. The rapidity of the final manoeuvre combined with the effects of negative 'g' probably did not permit the pilot-in-command to retrieve the situation in the time available."