Mid-Air Collision over Bedfordshire
BBC reporting a mid-air between two single seaters near Tempsford.
BBC News - Aircraft crash in mid-air near A1 in Bedfordshire |
Also on here as well, hope everyone is ok!
BREAKING: Light aircraft crashes in a field near Little Barford following mid-air collision | Bedfordshire News |
Sad to hear what all the emergency services were doing in the fields behind my house.
Couldn't see anything as many hedgerows/trees between my house and fields. The air ambulance attended. |
Midair collision Bedfordshire
BBC News - Aircraft crash in mid-air near A1 in Bedfordshire
Sounds like one of the parties had a narrow escape |
I saw the local police helicopter both hovering and orbiting near the Black Cat roundabout at about 9.30 this morning, clearly linked to this accident now that I've become aware of it.
I don't know anything about the aircraft involved but there is a microlight strip just to the west of Sandy right next to the A603 which is only a few miles from Tempsford. Also there is Gransden off a few miles to the east. |
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This picture gives a clearer image of the a/c in which the pilot died.
Pilot dies in mid-air crash between two light aircraft near Tempsford | Bedfordshire News SGC |
swiftybloke
:sad:So very sorry to read about this ,it appears to be SSDR aircraft involved,condolences to the family and friends
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Pilot Named
The pilot has been named. Condolences to his family.
BBC News - Tempsford air crash: Dead pilot was Stephen Spavins Via G-INFO, it seems the crash aircraft was a Kitfox (limited overhead visibility). No idea what the other was. DeepC |
For your information the Cardinal has NO overhead visibility whereas the Kitfox has a windscreen which goes over the pilots heads and to the back of the cockpit.
So, which aircraft has the best overhead visibility? from G-INFO, see photo of G-BSRT for confirmation. Rans6.... |
No idea what the other was. |
Thanks for the clarification on overhead view. Just very sad that this happened in a fairly empty bit of sky, especially at that time in the morning.
Was this a flying 'in formation' mishap or pure unsighted collision? |
Those two types flying in formation might be a bit tricky.
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Those two types flying in formation might be a bit tricky. |
Another sad accident.
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Lets not go down the usual PPRuNe slippery slope again...please The benefit in discussion of this sad event cannot not be to look for fault, but rather to refresh our minds as to how we will each be more effective in the future, preventing even the risk of such a thing, let alone the event. A Cardinal RG and Kitfox both in cruise flight (I presume) would certainly be a mismatch in many ways a mid air could happen, and the Kitfox coming out the lesser does not surprise me. I don't think the Kitfox is actually a "microlight", but it sure is not robust in terms of a collision with a much heavier and tougher Cardinal. Of course, I have no idea where the respective pilots were looking, nor even if the other aircraft was viewable at all. Let's remind ourselves that there are position combinations in which two high wing aircraft simply cannot be seen from the other without a full clearing turn. I'm not saying "shut up 'till the AAIB report comes out", because discussion in the mean time can be very worthwhile. Speculation can be good, if it promotes safety minded thinking and discussion, but not speaking poorly about a pilot, when the facts are not in. I, for one, will not be speculating about pilot failings, as I would not want that done about me. But I encourage people to think about and discuss. how to minimize these risks as much as possible. As a side note, and as a firefighter and aircraft recovery person of old, The gasoline powered chop saw will get rescuers into a plane, but you'll want at least those two fire extinguishers, if not more. The sparks from cutting steel tube structure that way will set gasoline and fabric ablaze very easily - been there, seen that! With good resources, I would have gone in differently. |
From the BBC:
A pilot died when two single-seater light aircraft collided in mid-air over Bedfordshire, causing one to crash to the ground. (my bold) A Cardinal a single seater? Yeah, right. Otherwise, sad. :( |
To my knowledge Steve Spavins has been flying for at least 14 years. I've had the pleasure of working with him on the odd occasion over the years and we would often help each other out. He was always gentleman. Although he had moved to Lincolnshire in recent years he continued to work as a first class funeral director serving the people of Sandy and the surrounding area.
RIP Steve. |
Most Kitfoxes are microlights.
Being mismatched is a problem in formation, but there's enough speed overlap to make it safely possible. IF that's what they were doing, which I don't think we know. I bought a second hand aeroplane from Steve Spavins about 15 years ago. It was a wreck but we both knew that and my recollection is just of an honest man who loved his flying. Commiserations to all. G |
Does anyone know what the weather/visibility in the area of the accident was at the time?
I had to drop my car off for a service just after 8am yesterday. At ground level here, near Reading, it was pretty misty. I thought to myself, good job I got my licence biennial flight done on Monday, I wouldn't have wanted to be out flying in that vis. MIG alley restricted by a low cloudbase would be bad. Rans6. ....... |
The weather was clear. Sunny and blue sky.
I was in my garden at the time and the crash is about 1500m from the end of my garden. I was watching the air ambulance and police helicopters through binos just after the event and there was no haze visible. |
Ta, DeepC, that wasn't to blame then.
Rans6. ..... |
Actually, having flown yesterday both morning and afternoon, the visibility was variously reported as around 8-9 km. It was reasonably hazy, and I was grateful for the traffic service I had for the afternoon flight in the afternoon which was mostly in a westerly direction (towards low sun in haze) because spotting stuff was hard enough even knowing where to look.
I'm not saying these conditions may or may not have been contributory, just saying that conditions "up top" are not necessarily that easy to ascertain from one's garden. |
fwjc, fair point. Just giving my observations.
The Cessna was on it's way to Sywell so would presumably have been heading Westerly away from the morning sun. The kitfox therefore would have to have been looking into the sun (to his left as he was heading southerly to Sandy) to see the Cessna approaching. Very sad. |
These mid air tragedies often happen in clear viz. Sometimes haze provides a uniform background which makes other aircraft more visible at close range, whereas in clear viz the background clutter can make visual acquisition of traffic more difficult. Any anyway, in any conditions the human eye is pretty poor at identifying traffic on a collision course (no relative movement) until the last second or so when it's usually too late to avoid.
And this time of year the sun is low in the sky, especially at the time this accident happened. If you're flying into such a sun..... Usually "the sky is a big place and the chance of two aeroplanes being in the exactly the same place at exactly the same height at exactly the same time" keeps us safe from this sort of tragedy. But in areas of heavy traffic, sometime's it doesn't. |
Actually, having flown yesterday both morning and afternoon, the visibility was variously reported as around 8-9 km. It was reasonably hazy, and I was grateful for the traffic service I had for the afternoon flight in the afternoon which was mostly in a westerly direction (towards low sun in haze) because spotting stuff was hard enough even knowing where to look. Statistically unlikely in open FIR but the airspace designers seem to want to push us into smaller and smaller areas under the LTMA and between airports where the density of VFR traffic makes mid-airs much more likely. Personally, I route away from such areas, even if it means a substantial diversion around London. Thankfully, in poor viz, Farnborough now seem more willing to give a traffic service but this can't overcome the fact that you have to put your head down to read a map, write down a squalk and then put it into the transponder, check your heading, change tanks, change frequency........ all things that keep you from looking out. |
Bob, why write down the squawk code? Just dial it up.
Same with radio frequencies, count the clicks from the previous one, then take a quick look inside to confirm and correct if needed. |
Usually "the sky is a big place and the chance of two aeroplanes being in the exactly the same place at exactly the same height at exactly the same time" keeps us safe from this sort of tragedy. But in areas of heavy traffic, sometime's it doesn' Not saying any of the above would have changed the outcome in the tragedy in this particular thread and condolences to the friends and families. Fly safe, little things may make the difference |
ShyTorque
9 times out of 10 when I'm given a squawk, I'm also given a QNH. I was taught that reading back both comes before dialling in the new squawk. If I don't write both down, 9 times out of 10, I will have forgotten the squawk by the time I've read back the QNH, and certainly by the time I've reset the QNH! Others may have better short term memories and recall though. I have to say that modern transponders with buttons for the numbers are a huge improvement on ones with dials. Worst are the ones where you have to press a knob to select the digit, turn it for the digit required, press again for the next digit etc.:* |
ShyTorque 9 times out of 10 when I'm given a squawk, I'm also given a QNH. I was taught that reading back both comes before dialling in the new squawk. If I don't write both down, 9 times out of 10, I will have forgotten the squawk by the time I've read back the QNH, and certainly by the time I've reset the QNH! Others may have better short term memories and recall though. I have to say that modern transponders with buttons for the numbers are a huge improvement on ones with dials. Worst are the ones where you have to press a knob to select the digit, turn it for the digit required, press again for the next digit etc. It's often obvious on the radio who is fumbling with their pen before reading back the figures to ATC due to the delay in replying. As well as blocking a busy frequency, it's all extra time "eyes in" because you then have you back inside a second time to change the settings. |
It's often obvious on the radio who is fumbling with their pen before reading back the figures to ATC due to the delay |
Looks like I was taught wrong then. I'll let my instructor know.
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you then have you back inside a second time to change the settings. |
DeepC, wouldn't the Cessna have been heading Westerly if it was going to Sywell? Just asking.
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Looks like I was taught wrong then. I'll let my instructor know. |
Can you still find him?! |
To be fair, although I don't write down the squawks and QNHs in the air now, I did do so throughout my training and earlier on in my flying career.
I don't know when it happened, but it was probably at around the 100-125 hour mark, and I wasn't doing it deliberately, it just happened, I think as a result of becoming more familiar with what to expect on the radio. What also helps is push button transponders rather than the rotary knob types. I find myself keying in the squawk directly as I read it back. Fannying around with the knobs is more time consuming and doesn't lend itself to simultaneous reading back. On the ground I do write down complex clearances especially at unfamiliar airports. As often as not I have to refer to the plate in those circumstances when they give a specific taxiway and holding point that I'm unfamiliar with. Only a couple of weeks ago I was given the wrong taxiway, holding point and runway by an ATCO running on autopilot. As the wind was calm, I saw no reason to question it at the time, so I wrote it down, and read it back while writing it down. On taxying, I saw other traffic and questioned the instructions, glad I did... and I had the evidence. |
Whether the Cardinal was going eastish or westish would depend upon where he was coming from, which I haven't seen reported anywhere.
Rans6. ..... |
...it was forty one years ago. MJ:ok: |
Yes, sorry, Westerly. edited.
If the Cardinal was over Tempsford, Sywell is WNW. Would seem logical he was heading westerly. Does anyone know where it came from? |
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