Pilot cleared of crash charges

The crash caused major damage to a house in Shoreham

A brain surgeon who crashed his plane into a house has been cleared of endangering the aircraft and the public.

Donald Campbell crashed the plane on approach to Shoreham Airport in Sussex, after running out of fuel on a flight from Sheffield in 2001.

Chichester Crown Court had heard the 55-year-old had incorrectly worked out how much fuel he had put into the plane.

But the jury was ordered on Thursday to clear the consultant neurosurgeon of the two charges against him.

Mr Campbell has been acquitted without a stain on his character Civil Aviation Authority spokesman

Mr Campbell, who lives in High Street, Battle, East Sussex, was flying a hired twin-engine Piper Seneca into Shoreham Airport near Brighton on 2 April 2001 when the crash happened.

He ran out of fuel close to the airport and crash landed on a house in West Street in Shoreham.

It caused major damage to the house, whose owners were out at the time.

The court heard he had miscalculated the conversion from US gallons to litres when requesting fuel before taking off and asked for 90 litres instead of 113.5 litres.

After the jury was ordered to clear Mr Campbell, a spokesman for the CAA said: "Mr Campbell has been acquitted without a stain on his character."