News story
AAIB Report: Beagle B121 Series 2, G-AZDG
Fatal accident, Hanningfield Reservoir, Essex, 28 December 2025
Wreckage and eyewitnesses’ location with final flight path from recorded tracking services © Google Earth, Image © Airbus
The pilot took off in G-AZDG from North Weald Airport, Essex for a local flight. About 1 hour and 20 minutes later the aircraft was observed to enter a steep descent before it struck the water in Hanningfield Reservoir, Essex. The pilot did not survive.
The pilot had been experiencing mental health issues and sleep difficulties for a few weeks before the accident. Based on this information, a handwritten card by the pilot, and the aircraft’s flight profile, it is likely that the pilot deliberately flew into the reservoir.