Accidental Death (From Gazette Series)

Accidental Death

A SENIOR police officer and a GP died accidentally when their microlight crashed in bad weather earlier this year, a coroner has recorded.

Gloucestershire Police Chief Inspector Ian Jones and Dr Chris Townsend, both 48, had been travelling to Hullavington airfield in Wiltshire on June 15 after making a trip to Shobdon in Herefordshire.

Gloucestershire coroner Alan Crickmore heard last Thursday how the microlight had nose-dived into a field close to the B4058 near Wotton-under-Edge. The accident happened when Dr Townsend, who had been piloting, had attempted an emergency landing.

Two golfers, Stephen Pollard and David Gaytten, were on the Cotswold Edge Golf Course when the plane crashed and witnessed the incident. Both men said the weather was poor with low cloud and drizzle.

Mr Gaytten told Gloucester Coroner's Court: "It seemed to come out of the blue. It just seemed to suddenly be there.

"It seemed to be turning towards us and it did look low. I formed the impression that it was looking for somewhere to land.

"It came straight at us and then turned away. There was an awful silence, then I heard a loud bang and we rushed to see what had happened."

Air accident investigator Kenneth Fairbank said an examination of the aircraft found no faults but said it did not have instruments on board for flying in cloud. However, the light aircraft did meet all safety requirements.

He added that witnesses had described a "sudden and violent" left turn and the nose of the plane dipping to a "near vertical descent". This, he said, was evidence of an aerodynamic stall, when an aircraft's speed becomes too low for the flight path that it is intending to follow. It is not when the engine cuts out.

Gloucestershire coroner Alan Crickmore said: "I am satisfied that Dr Townsend encountered an area of worsening weather conditions and that he diverted his journey to avoid the weather but could not find a route to a clear area.

"I think the evidence shows the crash was the consequence of an unintended occurrence."

A statement for the Jones family was read by Chief Inspector David Peake. It read: "Ian was a much-loved husband, father and brother who had many friends. He was a caring person who was always the first to help anyone who had a problem.

"His death has left a void in everyone's hearts. Life goes on but it will never be the same."

Verdict: Accidental death