Father and son killed in light aircraft crash after 'becoming disorientated in cloud and not realising it was nose diving towards the ground'
- Roger Hayes, 75, and son Andy, 39, died when their light aircraft crashed
- Plane broke up in mid-air and fell from the sky 'like a stone' over France
- Hit restricted airspace and Mr Hayes Jnr tried a 180-degree turn to leave it
- But his attempt to pull out of manoeuvre led to a sudden shift in pressure
- Caused wings to break off in mid-air and plane nose-dived to the ground
A father and son were killed when their light aircraft broke up in mid-air and fell from the sky 'like a stone', an inquest has heard.
Roger Hayes, 75, from Holsworthy, Devon, and son Andy, 39, from Birmingham, died when their twin-seat plane crashed at Pierre-Buffiere, in central France, on June 29 2012.
The plane crashed 20 minutes after taking off from nearby Limoges as they flew to the south of France.
The coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death.
Roger Hayes, 75 (left) and his son Andy, 39 (right) were killed when their light aircraft crashed over France
Pilot Mr Hayes Jnr, a video producer, and his father, a farmer, had been heading to the southern town of Rodez in their white Jabiru 450.
They hit restricted airspace, which they did not have permission to travel through, at around 4,000ft (1,219m) and Mr Hayes Jr attempted a 180-degree turn to leave it.
The pair were in thick cloud at the time and may have suffered from spatial disorientation, causing Mr Hayes Jr to become unaware the aircraft was nosediving, the inquest heard.
He attempted to pull sharply out of the manoeuvre but this led to a sudden shift in pressure in the light aircraft - causing first the left wing and then the right to break off in mid-air.
Exeter and Greater Devon Coroner's Court heard the airspace could have been restricted due to military operations, or a number of other unspecified reasons.
Dr Elizabeth Earland, Coroner for Exeter and Greater Devon, concluded both men died as a result of multiple injuries in 'accidental' deaths.
She said: '(They) were in a light aircraft which left Limoges at around 12.06pm on June 29 2012 on its way to Rodez.
'At approximately 12.44pm the left wing separated from the fuselage and shortly after that the right wing as the aircraft was subjected to an increased load as it climbed at 4,500ft in an attempt to avoid a restricted area.
'There was low cloud and bad weather and the plane broke up and crashed into a water outlet in Pierre-Buffiere.'
A Jabiru 450 like the plane which crashed as Mr Hayes Snr and his son flew to the south of France (stock)
Dr Earland said an RAF Puma helicopter had been in the same airspace at a similar time but there was no collision with the aircraft.
The two men had set off from Cherbourg before landing at Limoges to refuel, leaving at 12.06pm to head for Rodez.
French air traffic controllers had warned Mr Hayes Jr, who had 56 hours 45 minutes of flying experience, of scattered cloud at 2,400ft (732m) at around 12.20pm.
At 12.45pm, the controller heard a background noise on the frequency and tried to make contact but could not reach Mr Hayes or his father.
Witnesses heard the sound of the aircraft's engine revving before seeing it circling out of control and the left wing flying off, followed by other pieces which fell to the ground.
Jacques Keedah, who worked near the crash site, said: 'The left wing was falling into the air and the plane turning like a whirlpool.
'It fell like a stone. The plane came down directly to Earth in a spin. After it had hit the ground I heard the sound of a collision but no further explosion.'
Elsewhere, school assistant Didier Paulet was called by pupils in the playground to reports of the plane falling from the sky.
'Looking up in the direction they showed me, I saw what I thought was a small white aircraft,' he said.
'The engine was racing as if it was jammed. The aircraft quickly started losing bits. Other bits, some bigger, started falling off. The rest of the plane fell in one piece almost immediately.'
The inquest heard that data gathered from Mr Hayes' iPad, which had a navigation app running, showed the aircraft had attempted to turn round shortly before the nosedive.
Adrian Cope, senior inspector at the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch, said the plane had entered restricted air space and could have been trying to leave it.
'The pilot may have realised he was in restricted air space and was trying get back out again,' he said.
'It was descending significantly and the aircraft speed would be increasing. The pilot realised he was descending and was trying to rectify that situation.
'If that was done quite abruptly that would have put strain on the wings.'
Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk
