Thorganby crash: Plane was performing aerobatics moments before fatal smash

A light aircraft which crashed in a field - killing two young men - was performing aerobatics moments before the disaster, investigators said yesterday.

Pilot Matthew Bird, 21, and 24-year-old passenger Oliver Dawes died after the two-seater Cessna FRA150L aircraft careered into a field near Thorganby, North Yorkshire. Both families said they were "utterly heartbroken" following the tragedies, which are now being investigated by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB).

And yesterday, the AAIB confirmed the plane had been "performing aerobatic manoeuvres north of Breighton Airfield" before the crash. The new report continued the aircraft "entered a steep descent and struck the ground in a field near Thorganby" fatally injuring the pilot and passenger.

"The investigation is ongoing, and the final report will be published in due course," the statement added. It was released on the one-year anniversary of the crash, which happened at around 9.50am on Sunday July 28, 2024.

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Breighton Airfield, a private aerodrome primarily used for general aviation flying, is located on a former Royal Air Force station built in the early 1940s. Five people were injured in a helicopter crash, just inside East Yorkshire, at the airfield on July 17, 2016.

And following last year's fatalities, there was a huge outpour of grief shown towards Mr Bird, from Burley in Wharfedale, West Yorkshire, and Mr Dawes, of Spofforth, North Yorkshire. Their families issued statements to the media via North Yorkshire Police in the days after the collision.

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Mr Bird’s family said he “meant so much to so many”, adding: “We are utterly heartbroken but he will live on in our hearts as we cherish the incredibly special memories he’s left us with.”

Mr Dawes was described by his family as a “dearly loved son, cousin, nephew and friend”. The statement added: "Oliver will continue to live on in our hearts and memories as the kind, generous, hardworking and fun man he had become. We will miss him every day for the rest of our lives, we are heartbroken."

The full report into the crash will be published later this year, it is thought.