Inquest: Pilot died of multiple injuries

Saturday 28th April 2007, 12:00AM BST.

A 45-YEAR-OLD pilot died instantly from multiple injuries when his plane crashed into a field near the Airport in October 2004, an inquest decided yesterday.

And Deputy Viscount Peter de Gruchy said that mechanical failure of the aircraft was a major contributor to the death of Andrew Armstrong. Evidence was given by a number of experts during a two-hour hearing at Morier House yesterday. They included three senior inspectors of air accidents from the UK Department of Transport’s Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB). The AAIB report said a defect was discovered within an engine part that affected the aircraft’s ignition systems. The AAIB identified that work done by a maintenance technician who carried out a 500 hour inspection of the plane prior to the crash did not comply with the manufacturer’s maintenance manual.

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