Crash pilot 'suffered heart disease'

River Mersey: Five people died in the crash

A fatal air ambulance crash into the River Mersey may have happened after the pilot had a heart attack, an accident report has said.

The death of 58-year-old pilot Keith Whyham - and four passengers - has prompted calls for a review of the routine medical examinations carried out on all pilots.

Mr Whyham - who suffered from heart disease - lost control of his Piper Navajo Chieftain just a few hundred yards from Liverpool Airport on 14 June last year.

It is possible that some incapacitation of the pilot, arising from his heart condition, contributed to the accident

Accident report

While post mortem examinations showed he had an enlarged heart and coronary artery disease, a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) medical, carried out six weeks before the crash, revealed no abnormalities.

The Air Accident Investigation Board (AAIB) said there should now be a review of the requirements in medical examinations.

The board's report into the crash said the pilot's heart disease "was potentially sufficient to cause sudden cardiac problems, including abnormal heart rhythms, chest pains and collapse".

"It is possible that some incapacitation of the pilot, arising from his heart condition, contributed to the accident," it added.

Crashed at 140mph

The plane had been on a journey from Ronaldsway to Liverpool.

The crash killed father-of-five Stephen Charlton, 52, who was being flown to Walton Hospital in Liverpool following a suspected stroke, and his wife Lynn, 50, both from the Isle of Man

Staff nurse Karen Cowan, 37, also from the Isle of Man, and 21-year-old Manchester University medical student Hannah Hollinshead also died in the crash.

The plane broke up when it hit the water at 140 miles per hour. The five all died from "drowning with multiple injuries," said the AAIB report.

It suggested that the pilot was disorientated, distracted or incapacitated.

Though weather conditions were drizzly and overcast, Rod Hill, the manager of Liverpool Airport, said Mr Whyman was an experienced pilot and weather conditions should not have been a factor.