AAIB investigation to McKenzie Edge 360, G-EDGJ
Inadvertent spin during aerobatics, Old Buckenham Aerodrome, 22 April 2015.
Summary:
The pilot was flying a series of aerobatic manoeuvres at Old Buckenham Airfield when the accident occurred. His aircraft failed to recover correctly from a gyroscopic tumbling manoeuvre and inadvertently entered a spin. The pilot made no apparent attempt to recover from the spin and suffered fatal injuries in the ground impact.
The aerobatic manoeuvre was entered at relatively low speed and height, which may have been due in part to a lack of recent aerobatic practice and the use of a new or improvised aerobatic sequence. The investigation concluded that the aircraft entered the spin as a result of inappropriate control inputs, which also precluded a recovery.
The pilot was found to have been suffering from a serious and previously undiagnosed heart condition, which had the potential to affect his ability to perform the aerobatic manoeuvres safely and which could have produced incapacitating symptoms at a critical stage of the flight.
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