2008 Farnborough plane crash

At 14:38^[1] on 30 March 2008, a Cessna Citation 501 with five people on board crashed into a house at Farnborough (Kent) in the London Borough of Bromley, shortly after take off from Biggin Hill. There were no survivors among the five people on board.

Aircraft

The aircraft involved was a Bermudan-registered^[1] Cessna 501 Citation, registered VP-BGE, construction number 500-0287^[2], built in 1975.^[3]

Final flight

Cessna 500 Citation

Shortly after take-off from runway 21^[4] at Biggin Hill airport, the pilot radioed a Mayday call stating he had severe engine vibrations and requesting an immediate return to Biggin Hill. Permission was granted to land on any runway of the pilot's choice. The pilot opted to land on runway 21, but 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.^[5][6] The aircraft's intended destination was the Pau Pyrénées Airport in Pau, France. A memorial service was held for the victims on 6 April 2008.^[7]

Casualties

There were no physical injuries among residents of the street into which the plane crashed, although two people were later treated for shock.^[8] Residents were mostly shocked that this had happened around their homes and thinking of the pilots and their kindness, sending prayers to their families.There were two pilots and three passengers on board.

Crew

• Mike Roberts, 63,^[9] commercial pilot and aircraft broker.^[10]
• Michael Chapman, 57,^[7] Chief Flying Instructor and co-founder of the Real Flying Company, Shoreham, Sussex.^[11]

Passengers

• David Leslie, 54, former British Touring Car Championship driver and Eurosport commentator.^[12][13] Leslie left a wife and two sons.^[14]

• Richard Lloyd, 63, former British Touring Car Championship and World Sportscar Championship driver and team owner of Apex Motorsport.^[12][13] Lloyd left a wife and three daughters.^[15]

• Christopher Allarton, 25, data engineer for Apex Motorsport.^[7] Allarton had only been in his job for a week before he was killed.^[16]

Investigation

An Investigation has been opened by the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB). The National Transportation Safety Board, Federal Aviation Administration, Cessna^[1] and Pratt & Whitney Canada^[2] are assisting 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.^[17]

References