The jury inquest for a pilot who died when the replica Spitfire he helped build crashed at an Oxfordshire airfield has concluded his death was an accident.
Peter Hughes, a former commercial pilot for British Airways, died at the age of 71 when his plane crashed and caught fire during take-off at Enstone Airfield near Chipping Norton on July 28, 2024.
Evidence on the circumstances of the crash was heard by a jury at the inquest into his death at Oxfordshire Coroner’s Court on Tuesday, May 12.
READ MORE: Oxford locals unimpressed by city 'pod' hotel plans
The UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) completed a thorough investigation into the crash and presented its conclusions at the inquest.
It found that control of the plane was lost during take-off, and the aircraft rolled and yawed left in autorotation after an aerodynamic stall, causing the left wing to strike the ground and the plane to land inverted on the ground before catching fire, causing fatal injuries for the pilot.
There was ‘no evidence of a malfunction or failure of any of the aircraft’s flying control systems that would explain a loss of control’, the report concluded, and the reason for the loss of control could not be definitively established.
Possibilities included ‘inappropriate’ control input by the pilot and failure to control the yaw during take-off, or that Mr Hughes was ‘incapacitated to some extent’.
Mr Hughes’ medical cause of death was given by pathologist Dr Alexandar Kolar as ‘effects of fire (principally inhalation of products of combustion)’ and a post-mortem found the pilot was alive after the impact of the crash.
READ MORE: Oxford offender wanted for 'poor behaviour and assault'
A specialist post-mortem report from forensic histopathologist Dr Martin Goddard also found that Mr Hughes had moderate-to-severe coronary artery disease which could have caused a sudden cardiac event or severe chest pain, impairing his ability to fly the plane.
However, there was no definitive evidence for this, and it was established that a medical episode was not the only possible conclusion.
Geraint Herbert, principal inspector at the Air Accidents Investigation branch, told the court: “We can tell you what happened, but it is quite hard to then tell you why it happened, when the answer to the ‘why’ is what somebody was thinking, as we cannot infer that.”
Mr Hughes’ brother, also a pilot, spoke at the inquest on behalf of the family.
He said: “Throughout his life, Peter was a mechanical genius.
“He approached all machines with a massive amount of respect and knowledge. He could drive, ride, sail and fly all types of transport, and build and maintain them.”
With a total flying time of approximately 21,000 hours after a career flying long-haul for British Airways, his brother said Mr Hughes was accepted ‘as one of the best’ pilots on the network.
The siblings shared a week flying together on a European tour, which Mr Hughes’ brother described as ‘the highlight of my career’.
He added: “I have firsthand knowledge not just of Peter’s ability but also his immense respect for flying.”
READ MORE: Ex-Oxford International College CEO charged with £5m theft
Mr Hughes had built the Spitfire Mk 26B as a scaled replica of the original Spitfire with a team of aviation enthusiasts 2013.
His death comes as the second fatal crash involving a replica Spitfire at the Second World War base, Enstone Airfield, following the death of pilot Trevor Bailey, 68, the previous summer.
The jury deliberated following the presentation of evidence and the conclusion of the inquest is to follow.
Share