Fatal crash caused by wing flaw

A wing problem caused a south Wales plane crash which killed both men on board, an investigation has concluded.

William Mills, 66, from Glascoed, near Pontypool, and Paul Sweeting, 33, from Caerphilly, died when the Europa Classic plane crashed last June.

It disintegrated and plunged 500ft (165m) into a field near the M4 at Magor, Monmouthshire, after taking off from Cornwall on 1 June, 2007.

The Air Accident Investigation Bureau found a pin failed in the right wing.

The AAIB's report said: "Witnesses on the ground saw the tail move up and down rapidly, and debris was seen to fall from the aircraft before the wings and horizontal tailplanes detached.

"The fuselage came down in a grass field, fatally injuring both occupants.

"The investigation has found that a structural failure of the right wing trailing edge retaining pin mechanism had initiated the in-flight break-up of the aircraft."

Following the accident, the AAIB issued warnings over the aircraft type's airworthiness, and suggested owners carry out safety checks.

The 11-year-old plane had taken off from Bodmin Airfield in Cornwall and was planning to land on the Uckfield Farm Strip in Whitston near Magor.

The report said Mr Mills contacted the Cardiff radar controller at 1410 BST to tell them he was flying from Minehead to Newport and was last heard from when he was five nautical miles away from Uckfield.

Parts of the plane were scattered over a wide area, and both men on board were killed on impact.

The report concluded the break-up of the plane was "sudden, catastrophic and rendered the aircraft uncontrollable", and said the accident "was not survivable".

A post-mortem examination on Mr Mills found no evidence of any pre-existing disease or condition which could have had a bearing on the accident.

He had 1,631 hours of flying time logged.

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Gwent Police
AAIB
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