Death of pilot in mid-air collision "accidental"
A mid-air crash between two light aircraft which killed a retired British
Airways pilot was an accident, an inquest jury ruled.
Alan Weal, 62, died from head and chest injuries after the home-built plane he
was test flying plunged into a recreation ground.
Ex-BA captain Mr Weal and flying instructor Robert Rickwood and his student,
qualified pilot Barnaby Kerr, who were both in a four-seater aircraft, did not
see each other before the collision at 1,100ft over Sussex, the three-day
inquest in Horsham heard.
Mr Rickwood and Mr Kerr managed to bring the aircraft under control and land it
safely on a grass runway at Shoreham Airport near Brighton on a clear day on
July 4 last year.
The inquest heard there was no evidence that either pilot attempted to avoid the other, and no radar system at
Shoreham.
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