Mon, Mar 31, 2008
Five Lost When Jet Goes Down On Takeoff From Kent Airport
Reports from the scene of Sunday's downing of a Cessna Citation
501 business jet in Farnborough, England indicate two former
automobile racers were among the five victims onboard the stricken
aircraft... but possible reasons why the business jet experienced
problems immediately after takeoff are hard to come by at this
time.
According to numerous news reports, the Citation I departed
Biggin Hill Airport in Kent bound for Pau, France Sunday afternoon.
The jet (file photo of type, shown below) was less than five miles
from its departure airport when the pilot issued a mayday call, and
apparently attempted to steer the plane back to Biggin Hill.
"The plane was coming down with its
landing gear down as if to make an emergency landing on the field,"
witness Gary Walcraft, 16, told CNN. "I could see someone in the
plane waving frantically out of the window at us to get out of the
way... But at the last second the pilot pulled up somehow and
gained some height. He was trying to avoid hitting us but then he
clipped some trees and smashed into the house."
The Citation impacted a vacant home in a residential area two
miles from the field. The owners of the house were away on vacation
when the accident occurred, and no one on the ground was
injured.
Among the five victims onboard the jet were former British
Touring Car Championship driver David Leslie, 54, and Apex
Motorsport head Richard Lloyd, 63. The London Times identified the
pilots as Michael Roberts, 63, and Michael Chapman, 57. The fifth
victim was Christopher Allarton, 25.
An investigation has been launched into the downing of the
aircraft, with the National Transportation Safety Board also
offering its assistance.
More News
Pilot Also Reported That Due To A Fuel Leak, The Auxiliary Fuel Tanks Were Not Used On June 4, 2025, at 13:41 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-23, N2109P, was substantially damage>[...]
From 2023 (YouTube Edition): Reflections on War’s Collective Lessons and Cyclical Nature The exigencies of war ought be colorblind. Inane social-constructs the likes of racis>[...]
Pilot Reported That He Was Unfamiliar With The Single Seat Amateur-Built Airplane And His Intent Was To Perform High-Speed Taxi Testing Analysis: The pilot reported that he was unf>[...]
From 2023 (YouTube Edition): First Kits to Ship October 2023 Having formerly resurrected the storied shape of the Ryan ST—in effigy, anyway—Montrose, Colorado-based Tim>[...]
Performance-Based Navigation (PBN) [ICAO] Area navigation based on performance requirements for aircraft operating along an ATS route, on an instrument approach procedure or in a d>[...]
NTSB Prelim: Piper PA-23
See All