Cloud blamed in fatal plane crash

The plane came down in cloud onto the mountainside

A light aircraft passenger died when the plane crashed into a mountainside in cloud, an inquest has been told.

Stuart Kingsbury, 73 from Talywain near Pontypool, died when the Cessna plane being piloted by Brian Vaux, also from Pontypool, crashed in September 2006.

The pair were making a return journey over a Snowdonia mountain near Bethesda to Herefordshire when it is thought cloud affected the pilot's judgement.

An accidental death verdict was recorded at the Caernarfon hearing.

The coroner heard how Mr Kingsbury was a passenger in the aircraft being piloted by Mr Vaux when attempted to make a return journey to Herefordshire.

At first they tried to fly south of Snowdon but were forced to turn back because of cloud.

The inquest heard how the pilot refuelled the plane and set off again this time flying east towards Colwyn Bay.

Brian Vaulks was seriously injured and has no memory of the accident

Mr Vaux, who was badly hurt in the crash and now uses a wheelchair, gave evidence but said he was unable to remember what happened.

Keith Conradi, an expert from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch said he believed Mr Vaux had been trying to track the ground when the accident happened - adjusting the plane's height as ground level rose.

He said it was likely he flew into cloud and lost his point of reference.

"He would have known his height above sea level, but not his height above the ground," he said.

"He got caught out by the mountains."

The wreckage of the plane was found nearly 2,000ft up near the Ogwen Valley.

Recording his verdict, coroner Dewi Pritchard Jones said over the years he had held a number of inquests involving plane crashes in Snowdonia.

"I want to highlight the dangers of flying in the mountains," he said.

"It is very easy in cloud to lose sight of the ground.

"Unfortunately he wasn't aware of the change in ground level in that area," he added.