A pilot who died in a plane crash on the Suffolk-Essex border was not warned of the bad weather conditions, an investigation has found.
Police, fire and ambulance crews were called to the incident near the A131 in Pebmarsh, between Sudbury and Halstead, at about 9.25am on Monday, August 21 last year.
A man in his 70s, the sole occupant of the Piper PA-28-180 aircraft, was found dead at the scene.
An Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) investigation was launched and its findings have been made public.
The report states the pilot departed Old Buckenham Airfield in Norfolk at about 7.50am before heading to Earls Colne airfield, where he was due to be carrying out training.
At 8.05am, the pilot called Earls Colne radio stating that he was "abeam Sudbury, inbound at 1,500ft" and requested the airfield's details.
The report found that whilst approaching Earls Colne Airfield the pilot of the aircraft, registration G-AYUH, encountered weather that was not compatible with flight under visual flight rule.
"The airfield was in fog, but this was not relayed to the pilot when he requested airfield details," the report added.
"Following an attempted track reversal manoeuvre and climb, the aircraft departed from controlled flight and struck trees and terrain, fatally injuring the pilot."
A witness at Colne Engaine reported that shortly after losing sight of the aircraft they heard an engine sound as if full power was being applied, followed by a “sickening crash, like a crunching of metal”.
Following the investigation, the operator of Earls Colne Airfield has introduced additional processes for safety based on new procedures introduced by the Civil Aviation Authority post-incident to allow radio operators to offer unofficial weather reports to pilots.
Anyone with any information about the crash is being asked to contact Essex Police, quoting the incident number 270 of August 21.
The publication of the AAIB report comes after the findings of an investigation into an aircraft crash at Heveningham Hall in east Suffolk last July were also revealed.
The pilot survived the crash at the estate near Halesworth, with investigators finding a grass runway may have contributed to the incident.
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