A LIGHT aircraft crash landed in a field in Gwent after losing engine power, a report has concluded.

On May 25 last year, a Pioneer 300 light aircraft took off from Abergavenny airfield on its first flight following maintenance, before crash landing in a nearby field just moments later.

It has been revealed that seconds after taking off, the 53-year-old pilot experienced an “electrical power” warning through his headset, but before he could turn around to return to the airfield, the plane lost all power.

His attempts to restart power proved to be unsuccessful, and as a result, the plane was landed without power in a nearby field, without the landing gear in use.

Thankfully, the pilot - who was the only person in the aircraft – escaped unharmed, and last week, the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) published their findings into the crash.

What caused the incident?

The AAIB report revealed that a loss of power and landing gear malfunction caused the plane to land in a field last May.

However, they were unable to say with certainty what caused these issues in the first place.

According to the report, “given the weather conditions on the day and the use of Mogas (a type of gasoline used in aircraft), vapour lock in the fuel system was considered as a potential cause of the loss of engine power.

“The electrical current problem, either in isolation or in combination landing system adjustment issues, could account for the failure of the landing gear to extend when selected.”

Investigations carried out showed that after maintenance work was carried out, the plane’s engines were run before any attempts to take off were made, and no problems were found. A permit allowing the aircraft to be taken out on a test flight had also been issued by the Light Aircraft Association.

Following the landing, attempts to raise and lower the landing gear, and to restart the engine, were successful, though it was revealed that the pilot had experienced similar problems with the electrical power warning in the past.

The report also found that the pilot had intended on remaining within gliding distance of Abergavenny’s airfield, but ended up ascending too high while trying to fix the electrical power issues.

As a result, he was forced to land in a field, a manoeuvre that he was considered capable of doing, as a result of his training and experience.

The full report can be read online here - https://tinyurl.com/knjsxd3w