Spitfire flipped on takeoff, crash report finds

A replica Spitfire pivoted to the left during takeoff, before flipping over and crashing, killing the pilot, an air accident report has found.

Peter Hughes, 71, died when the plane crashed and caught fire at Enstone Airfield near Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire on 28 July 2024.

The Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) said its investigation did not reveal any technical defects which would have affected the controllability of the aircraft.

Mr Hughes was its only occupant and no one else was injured.

The replica of the World War Two fighter had been built in 2013.

The AAIB report said CCTV and witness reports showed the aircraft "pitched up sharply and then rolled rapidly to the left" towards the edge of the runway.

The left wingtip struck the the ground and the plane flipped over and caught fire, fatally injuring Mr Hughes.

The report said "no definitive cause" was established for the loss of control.

In a statement released after his crash, Mr Hughes' family said they were "devastated" by his death.

"Pete was an extremely good man who was deeply generous in so many ways; his love, his time, energy and spirit, and was an integral part of the numerous communities that he held dear," it said.

It was the second crash involving a replica Spitfire from the airfield within 10 months - in 2023 Trevor Bailey, 68, from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, died flying a replica Spitfire near Enstone.

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