Man killed in Norfolk plane crash
 

Man killed in Norfolk plane crash


29 October 2008 16:42


A two-seater light aircraft has crashed at Seething airfield this afternoon, killing one man and injuring another.

The accident happened at around 13.50pm today when the aircraft was in collision with a tractor.

One man was pronounced dead at the scene and the second was flown to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital by the East of England Ambulance Service.

The airfield has been closed and police are investigating the incident in with Air Accident Investigators.

A spokeswoman for the East Anglian Ambulance Service said the tractor driver was shaken but unhurt'.

Early reports indicated that the plane caught fire.
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R.I.P to all the man's family
A very sad day

Sky news maintaining their sensationalist headlining , claiming Pilot from LOW COST flying school , insinuating in some way that cheap flying had something to do with it , makes me sick
May they RIP

Blimey, not another one!!!!!!!! :(

Report from the BBC

SD

Just across the fields from us, Seething is a lovely airstrip that boasts a restored WW11 control tower that is now a museum. The flying club is small, very friendly and very, very close knit. Its not as 'commercial' as other clubs and student pilots are actively encouraged to participate in duties associated with the day to day running of the airstrip. I've flown a lot in NZ and have loved the Kiwi attitude to aviation - this is the one place in the UK that I've found to replicate that. Seething acts as an overnight base for display aircraft performing at Lowestoft Airshow.

This is just so sad. Thoughts & prayers to those involved. R.I.P

black October . . . . . . . . .
 

My thoughts, precisely. What a dreadful month it's been.

Anybody care to post the type of aircraft please?
I'm looking at the BBC site and have my suspicions

The Daily Mail has a picture of a "similar" aircraft -- but then its the Daily Mail

aircraft remains shown on BBC website, referenced above, has rounded fin/rudder. That shown as "similar" type on Daily Mail clearly has square corners to fin/rudder.

Not the same type, methinks.........

Remains of structure shown on BBC photo suggest tube n fabric. I understand that the Piper suggested by the daily mail would be all metal construction.

Anyone know?

Added to which the DM's pic show an aircraft commonly used to seat six, while the BBC article states it was a two-seater. My guess is that someone in the DM has just grabbed the first shot on file, which as luck would have it, is an aircraft associated with a criminal trial a while back, IIRC.

a chipmunk lives there.

chipmunk has a balanced rudder, I think.

I am leaning towards Auster or Taylorcraft types.

Pitts or Eagle

It does look like a Pitts or Eagle and the undercarriage looks more like the spring beam used on a few Pitts and on most eagles. I hope its not the Eagle pilot that I know locally. Does anyone on the forum know which aircraft it was?

ZA

To me it looks like it might have been an Eagle. Very sad...

Hello fellow Ppruners

I am a member at seething and for the record want to say what an excellent club it is (as setandcontact also posted) its a cooperative not a commercial organisation.

I am also shocked about the news and at this stage know little of the details (having just got back from the pub) but will inform you when I know more tomorrow.

But I can say training only occurs on Saturdays (so its not low cost training students! - ridiculous statement), there are a variety of kit planes based at the airfield aswell as a chipmunk, a yak and several robins, a new maintenance group recently moved there (variety of new customers flying in), and a variety of local farm strip pilots who fly in for fuel... So at this stage it is very difficult to speculate on the a/c.

My thoughts and prayers go to the people and families involved.

And I pray I dont know them.

From the EDP Norwich

Norfolk media executive dies in aircraft crash

30 October 2008 11:10


Police have named the man who died in a Norfolk plane crash yesterday afternoon as Ian Davies, 49, of Topcroft.

Married father-of-two Mr Davies was business development director for Archant, publishers of the EDP and Evening News.

A second man was critically injured in the crash at Seething airfield, and is being treated at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.

Before joining Archant, Mr Davies worked as a journalist, radio presenter and producer and television news reader.

Air accident investigators are at the scene today.

The two-seater aeroplane hit a crop spraying tractor as it approached the runway to land at Seething Airfield, near Loddon, shortly before 2pm yesterday.

Fire crews cut both men free from the shattered fuselage and paramedics tried to resuscitate them but while the other man, thought to be in his 50s, was airlifted to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital with critical injuries, Mr Davies was pronounced dead at the scene.

Ian Davies - died in the plane crash at Seething yesterday
Ian Davies - died in the plane crash at Seething yesterday
The tractor driver, named as Andrew Hill, escaped serious injury but was recovering at home last night after being treated for shock. The aircraft came to a halt 30ft from his vehicle, which was on a field next to the runway.

Paul Bassett, a senior officer with the East of England Ambulance Service, said Mr Hill was lucky to walk away from the accident.

“From speaking to him, he didn't see the aircraft coming,” said Mr Bassett. “He heard the bang and wondered what it was. It was a lucky escape.

“The tractor was spraying the field. It remained upright. The only damage that I could see was to the large plastic truck which carries the liquid to put on to the field.”

Norfolk Fire Service watch manager Richard McGonagle said a fire broke out following the crash but it was dealt with by airfield staff.

“There was significant debris on the start of the approach to the runway and evidence of a collision with the agricultural vehicle. The aircraft was barely recognisable. The debris field suggests the aircraft collided with the crop-spraying tractor before it hit the ground.”

Norfolk police spokesman Jonathan Ford said: “Police are investigating the incident in conjunction with air accident investigators. The investigation will try to establish exactly what happened. It is too early to say at the moment.”

Fire crews from Loddon, Bungay, Norwich, Hethersett and Fakenham were called to the crash.

Archant are also the publishers of "Pilot" magazine, which most of us probably read.

It is reported on the BMAA site as DHC 1 Chipmunk G-AOSY.

Rod1