2008 Farnborough plane crash
Encyclopedia
At 14:38 on 30 March 2008, a Cessna Citation
501 with five people on board crashed into a house at Farnborough in the London Borough of Bromley
, shortly after take off from Biggin Hill
. There were no survivors among the five people on board. The racing drivers Richard Lloyd
and David Leslie
were killed in this accident.
n-registered Cessna 501 Citation, registered VP-BGE
, construction number 500-0287, built in 1975. At the time of the accident, the aircraft had completed 5,844 hours total time and 5,352 cycles.
Shortly after take-off from runway 21 at Biggin Hill airport, the pilot radioed an emergency call
stating he had engine vibrations and requesting an immediate return to Biggin Hill. The aircraft was given permission to land on any runway, and the pilots indicated that they would return to runway 21, from which they had just taken off. Shortly after the radio call the aircraft rapidly lost altitude and crashed into a property in Romsey Close, Farnborough, while attempting to return to the airfield. There were no survivors from the aircraft, which was totally destroyed by fire, as was the house the aircraft crashed into. A neighbouring house was damaged by fire. The house was unoccupied at the time of the accident; the owners, who returned shortly after the accident, were treated for shock. Repairs to the house took two years to complete. Two Sea King HAR3/3A
, intended for search and rescue were spotted circling the crash site not long after the accident.
The aircraft's intended destination was Pau Pyrénées Airport
in Pau, France.
There were no physical injuries among residents of the street into which the plane crashed, although two people were later treated for shock
.
Crew
Passengers
A memorial service was held for the victims on 6 April 2008. An inquest
into the death of the five victims opened on 31 May 2011 at Bromley
, London
. Then inquest concluded on 1 June with verdicts of accidental death being returned in all five cases.
, Federal Aviation Administration
, Cessna
and Pratt & Whitney Canada
assisted the AAIB in the investigation.
The preliminary report from the AAIB revealed that there was no debris found on the runway at Biggin Hill, and no evidence of a bird strike
or foreign object damage to either of the engines.
The AAIB published its formal report into the accident on 21 May 2010. It concluded that
Cessna Citation
The Cessna Citation is a marketing name used by Cessna for its line of business jets. Rather than one particular model of aircraft, the name applies to several "families" of turbofan-powered aircraft that have been produced over the years...
501 with five people on board crashed into a house at Farnborough in the London Borough of Bromley
London Borough of Bromley
The London Borough of Bromley is a London borough of south east London, England and forms part of Outer London. The principal town in the borough is Bromley.-Geography:...
, shortly after take off from Biggin Hill
London Biggin Hill Airport
London Biggin Hill Airport is an airport at Biggin Hill in the London Borough of Bromley, located south southeast of Central London, United Kingdom...
. There were no survivors among the five people on board. The racing drivers Richard Lloyd
Richard Lloyd (racing driver)
Richard Lloyd was a British racing car driver and founder of multiple sports car and touring car teams...
and David Leslie
David Leslie (racing driver)
David Leslie was a racing driver. He was most associated with the British Touring Car Championship, in which he was runner-up in 1999. He was particularly noted for his development skill, helping both Honda and Nissan become BTCC race winners...
were killed in this accident.
Aircraft
The aircraft involved was a BermudaBermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
n-registered Cessna 501 Citation, registered VP-BGE
Tail number
A tail number refers to an identification number painted on an aircraft, frequently on the tail.Tail numbers can represent:* An aircraft registration number * United States military aircraft serials-See also:...
, construction number 500-0287, built in 1975. At the time of the accident, the aircraft had completed 5,844 hours total time and 5,352 cycles.
Final flight
Mayday (distress signal)
Mayday is an emergency procedure word used internationally as a distress signal in voice procedure radio communications. It derives from the French venez m'aider, meaning "come help me"....
stating he had engine vibrations and requesting an immediate return to Biggin Hill. The aircraft was given permission to land on any runway, and the pilots indicated that they would return to runway 21, from which they had just taken off. Shortly after the radio call the aircraft rapidly lost altitude and crashed into a property in Romsey Close, Farnborough, while attempting to return to the airfield. There were no survivors from the aircraft, which was totally destroyed by fire, as was the house the aircraft crashed into. A neighbouring house was damaged by fire. The house was unoccupied at the time of the accident; the owners, who returned shortly after the accident, were treated for shock. Repairs to the house took two years to complete. Two Sea King HAR3/3A
Westland Sea King
The Westland WS-61 Sea King is a British licence-built version of the American Sikorsky S-61 helicopter of the same name, built by Westland Helicopters. The aircraft differs considerably from the American version, with Rolls-Royce Gnome engines , British made anti-submarine warfare systems and a...
, intended for search and rescue were spotted circling the crash site not long after the accident.
The aircraft's intended destination was Pau Pyrénées Airport
Pau Pyrénées Airport
-Military usage:Apart from the civilian terminal, there are military installations on the south side of the airfield. These host the 4th Special Forces Helicopter Regiment, the 5th Combat Helicopter Regiment and the French Army's paratrooper's training....
in Pau, France.
Casualties
All five occupants of the aircraft (two crew and three passengers) were fatalities.There were no physical injuries among residents of the street into which the plane crashed, although two people were later treated for shock
Acute stress reaction
Acute stress reaction is a psychological condition arising in response to a terrifying or traumatic event...
.
Crew
- Mike Roberts, 63,
- Michael Chapman, 57, Chief Flying Instructor and co-founder of the Real Flying Company, ShorehamShoreham Airport- Sussex Police Air Operations Unit :The Sussex Police Air Operations Unit is headquartered at Shoreham Airport. The unit has been equipped since February 2000 with a MD Explorer, registered as "G-SUSX". The unit is headed by a Police Inspector, assisted by a Police Sergeant and two Police...
, Sussex.
Passengers
- David LeslieDavid Leslie (racing driver)David Leslie was a racing driver. He was most associated with the British Touring Car Championship, in which he was runner-up in 1999. He was particularly noted for his development skill, helping both Honda and Nissan become BTCC race winners...
, 54, former British Touring Car ChampionshipBritish Touring Car ChampionshipThe British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom. The Championship was established in 1958 as the British Saloon Car Championship and has run to various rules over the years – "production cars", then FIA Group 1 or 2 in the late 1960s...
driver and EurosportEurosportEurosport is a pan-European television sport network operated by French broadcaster TF1 Group. The network of channels are available in 59 countries, in 20 different languages providing viewers with European and international sporting events...
commentator. Leslie left a wife and two sons. - Richard LloydRichard Lloyd (racing driver)Richard Lloyd was a British racing car driver and founder of multiple sports car and touring car teams...
, 63, former British Touring Car ChampionshipBritish Touring Car ChampionshipThe British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom. The Championship was established in 1958 as the British Saloon Car Championship and has run to various rules over the years – "production cars", then FIA Group 1 or 2 in the late 1960s...
and World Sportscar ChampionshipWorld Sportscar ChampionshipThe World Sportscar Championship was the world series run for sports car racing by the FIA from 1953 to 1992.The championship evolved from a small collection of the most important sportscar, endurance and road racing events in Europe and North America with dozens of gentleman drivers at the grid,...
driver and team owner of Apex Motorsport. Lloyd left a wife and three daughters. - Christopher Allarton, 25, data engineer for Apex Motorsport. Allarton had only been in his job for a week before he was killed.
A memorial service was held for the victims on 6 April 2008. An inquest
Inquest
Inquests in England and Wales are held into sudden and unexplained deaths and also into the circumstances of discovery of a certain class of valuable artefacts known as "treasure trove"...
into the death of the five victims opened on 31 May 2011 at Bromley
Bromley
Bromley is a large suburban town in south east London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Bromley. It was historically a market town, and prior to 1963 was in the county of Kent and formed the administrative centre of the Municipal Borough of Bromley...
, London
London Borough of Bromley
The London Borough of Bromley is a London borough of south east London, England and forms part of Outer London. The principal town in the borough is Bromley.-Geography:...
. Then inquest concluded on 1 June with verdicts of accidental death being returned in all five cases.
Investigation
An Investigation was conducted by the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB). The National Transportation Safety BoardNational Transportation Safety Board
The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incidents, certain types of highway crashes, ship and marine...
, Federal Aviation Administration
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
, Cessna
Cessna
The Cessna Aircraft Company is an airplane manufacturing corporation headquartered in Wichita, Kansas, USA. Their main products are general aviation aircraft. Although they are the most well known for their small, piston-powered aircraft, they also produce business jets. The company is a subsidiary...
and Pratt & Whitney Canada
Pratt & Whitney Canada
Pratt & Whitney Canada is a Canadian aircraft engine manufacturer. PWC's headquarters are in Longueuil, Quebec, just outside Montreal. It is a division of the larger US-based Pratt & Whitney , itself a business unit of United Technologies...
assisted the AAIB in the investigation.
The preliminary report from the AAIB revealed that there was no debris found on the runway at Biggin Hill, and no evidence of a bird strike
Bird strike
A bird strike—sometimes called birdstrike, avian ingestion , bird hit, or BASH —is a collision between an airborne animal and a man-made vehicle, especially aircraft...
or foreign object damage to either of the engines.
The AAIB published its formal report into the accident on 21 May 2010. It concluded that
- the "engine vibration" reported by the pilots most likely came, not from the engines themselves, but from the air cycle machineAir cycle machineAn air cycle machine is the refrigeration unit of the environmental control system used in pressurized gas turbine-powered aircraft. Normally an aircraft has two or three of these ACM. Each ACM and its components are often referred as an Air Conditioning Pack.The air cycle cooling process uses...
; - a missing rivet head on the left fuel cut-off lever could have resulted in the pilots shutting down that engine inadvertently;
- both engines had shut down, or had been shut down, during the course of the short flight; The pilots had attempted to restart both engines before the crash, but had attempted to relight the second engine before the first engine had reached 20% N2, causing the relight of both engines to fail.