On 11 February 2009 two RAF Grob Tutors collided mid-air killing all four people on board the two aircraft.  The single-engine propeller aircraft had set off from MOD St Athan and were being used for Air Experience Flights in which each plane was flown by an RAF instructor pilot and carried an air cadet from 1004 SQN (Pontypridd).  The 2 planes clipped wings at approximately 5,000ft and came down between the M4 and a mainline railway line near Porthcawl in South Wales.

The AAIB investigation noted that the cause of the crash was that ‘neither pilot saw the other aircraft in time to take effective avoiding action, it at all.’  The nature of the airspace and topography of the region as well as the size, structure and colour of the Grob Tutor model were also cited as contributory factors which made it difficult for each pilot to see the other aircraft and prevent the fatal collision.

If you would like to speak in confidence to an expert regarding this accident, or any other aviation incident you were involved in, please contact a member of the aviation team on 0800 056 4110. The team will be able to advise you on the accident, the relevant law and the parties who may be liable.

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