Reports of light aircraft down Heathfield, East Sussex 4 August 2020
 

Scant details here: https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news...hfield-2932565

No knowledge of occupants etc.... yet...

Hope everyone is OK. From the location given by ESFRS I'd say it's very close to Bradleys Lawn airfield.

That's the VoliAmo site, trust all OK
Still scarce details, but Fire Brigade dealt with fire promptly and have left the scene.

Sadly the pilot died..

Three based aircraft: a Coyote II, C42 and a Cyclone (though may have been a visitor, of course, or an aircraft that just happened to be in the area).

Next of kin have been informed and there is quite a Facebook thread about the pilot. One of the finest gentlemen I’ve ever met, his aircraft was probably the highest time of its type in the world, nearly every hour on her flown by him.

A friend to so many, kind generous, funny, he made a difference to everyone’s day wherever he went. The world will be a far poorer place without him.

SND

So if the next of kin have been informed; may we know? Also a/c type would be of interest too.

Why don't some of you who know the facts put them on here to save speculation?????????????

Other wise people will have to guess. Let me go first guess and then you can tell me why I have the wrong person and/or type.

I think it is RW aka the Whiskey Kilo Wanderer and the aircraft is a Rans S6-116. The evidence supporting this is: RW is/was one of the most easy going, cheerful and pleasant characters I have had the good fortune to meet a few times at flying events, a sentiment shared on here by others. One of the accident news reports my partner found on the web this week showed somebody moving what is clearly a Rans S6 tailplane, fin and rudder assembly at the scene of Tuesdays accident. The LAA told me a few years ago, when I was a Rans owner, that RW had the highest hours Rans S6 on the fleet, possibly the highest hours homebuilt on the LAA fleet. I know he hailed from the Kent- Sussex border area. He will be missed by many.

Rans6..................................................

Rans, sadly he has been named on Flyer.

Bugger! Bugger! Bugger!

No man is an island,
Entire of itself,
Every man is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thy friend's
Or of thine own were:
Any man's death diminishes me,
Because I am involved in mankind,
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee.

John Donne

This is very sad.

I saw elsewhere that Richard had done 5,700 hours (!!) in this aircraft that he built in the 90s. That's a lot of flying, and probably a lot more than the designers ever envisaged. Without wishing in any way to pre-judge the investigation and without any supporting evidence, I just hope that airframe fatigue was not an issue here.

As Richard's partner I can say that it is prob 40 medical and he just happened to be taking off at the time. I've not been in pprune for some time so a bit late, for which apologies. It was horrible, but could have been a great deal worse (in the car, straight and level, at home etc...). But, overall...a truly good man, dead, too soon.