Air crash still unexplained
An official report has been unable to explain why the engine of a microlight plane "faltered" before crashing into a field.
Pilot David Townsend, 57, of Norwich was uninjured in the crash at Priory Farm Airfield, south east of Old Buckenham on April 26.
The report, published by the Government's Air Accident Investigation Branch, said the engine faltered as it climbed to 100 ft, then quickly stopped.
Mr Townsend, who had 239 hours of flying experience, steered the aircraft away from hangars and parked aircraft before crashing into a field adjoining the runway, causing damage to the nose landing gear and lower fuselage.
The report stated: "Following the accident, the pilot could find no obvious reason for the engine failure.
"There was sufficient fuel of the correct type, the fuel and ignition were switched on, the fuel filter was clean and the propeller was free to rotate."
The report added a limited examination of the cylinders and pistons revealed no evidence of a cold seizure
The engine was test run and started on the second pull of the start cord and ran satisfactorily.
A possible cause, according to the report, were meteorological conditions which could have led to "moderate carburettor icing at a cruise engine power setting and serious icing at a descent power setting".
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Thursday 02 September 2010
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