Fatal air crash was caused by a stunt

The Piper Cherokee plane flown by Alan Matthews, aged 59, nosedived into the ground at Colwich in Staffordshire, killing him and his two passengers.

See also: Archive: Pilot dies in plane crash fireball

The accident appeared to have been the result of a loss of control while Mr Matthews, from Walsall Wood, was attempting an aerobatic manoeuvre and not as a result of mechanical failure, the report by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch said.

The report added that the aircraft maintenance records were incomplete and did not show that the required maintenance had been correctly performed.

During the stunt on the morning of January 2, the aircraft entered a steep nose-down descent which resulted in a high-speed impact on the West Coast Main Line at Colwich Junction, near Little Haywood.

The initial impact was with an overhead power gantry and a section of the line had to be shut for several days after the accident, causing travel chaos for thousands of rail passengers.

Also killed were Nick O'Brien, aged 35, and his wife Emma, aged 29, who lived at Shirley, Solihull, with their two sons – 10-year-old Callum and 18-month-old Joel. Mr O'Brien had booked the flight as a gift for his wife.

It is believed the pilot knew Mr O'Brien through his work with Birmingham-based firm Armoury Demolition, where Mr Matthews worked as a liaison officer, while Mr O'Brien was a buyer for the group.

The report said Mr Matthews' pilot's licence had been validated until January 2003. According to Civil Aviation Authority records, his last recorded medical examination was in 1995 and his medical validity expired in 1997.

The AAIB said 64 hours of flying time had been recorded for the aircraft between March 2006 and May 2008 and it was likely that most of these hours were flown by Mr Matthews, who was married.

The report said that on previous flights Mr Matthews was known to have performed manoeuvres known as "wingover" and "stall turn" and it was "possible that this is what he was attempting, but that he lost control of the aircraft."

The height at which Mr Matthews was flying before the accident could not be determined but, from the witness descriptions, it was not at a great height and appeared to be insufficient to recover from a loss of control, the AAIB said.

The report added: "There was no evidence that the pilot had received training in performing aerobatic manoeuvres."

The flight had taken off from Sittles airfield near Lichfield.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch said that since the accident, Sittles Flying Club Ltd, the organisation that runs the airfield, has put in place measures to ensure that documentation is checked for validity on a regular basis for all pilot members and their aircraft. The AAIB added: "Other than in a flying club environment, there is no system for checking that pilots are suitably qualified for flying an aircraft.

"Thus, when a member of the public accepts a flight with a private pilot, there is no assurance that the pilot is qualified and fit to fly other than the pilot's own integrity."

The report went on: "The situation of mutual trust, however, is little different from accepting a lift in a person's car or other private vehicle and is not a basis for a safety recommendation."

Mr Matthews widow, Jenny, said he had 20 years of flying experience, had owned the plane for 12 years and used it to travel to France, Spain, Ireland and the Isle of Wight.

She said her husband "was loving, caring and would help anybody. He was an experienced pilot and loved his flying. He didn't go up much in the week but almost every weekend. She added: "He was fun-loving and popular with everybody."

Mr Matthews previously helped run the Kings Head pub in Bird Street, Lichfield, and also The Queens in Norton Road, Pelsall.

Soon after the accident, residents of Colwich told of the horror they had witnessed. Derek Higgott, from Back Lane, near the crash site, said: "I was working in my garden. I heard the plane, I looked up, and suddenly it just turned and went straight down like a stunt plane. There was a huge thud and black smoke."

Malcolm Beresford, whose Station Road garden backed directly onto the site of the crash, rushed outside after hearing the aircraft. He said: "It just came over the house, turned and then there was a big ball of flames and smoke."