Acquitted Of Causing The Accident That Resulted In The Fatal Injury Of His Passenger

The Winchester Crown Court in the U.K. has cleared pilot Scott Hoyle, 48, of Poole in the county of Dorset, England of manslaughter charges following an accident in 2011 that fatally injured the passenger in the Tiger Moth biplane he was flying.

Both men on board the aircraft had been Royal Marines. The passenger was Orlando Rogers, age 26.

The court also cleared Hoyle of endangering the safety of an aircraft.

The BBC reports that the charges had been brought because Hoyle had attempted a loop in the Tiger Moth, an accusation he denied. He told the jury that a rudder pedal jammed in the antique aircraft, and as the plane began to violently rotate, he pulled back on the stick, causing a pitch-up attitude that appeared to be a loop. The airplane flipped over and entered a spin from which Hoyle was unable to recover.

Den Laithwaite, a friend of Hoyle's, read a statement in court saying that the pilot had been "a victim of the failures in the air accident investigation system. His account of events was dismissed by those tasked with investigating who appeared to refuse to consider compelling evidence that was presented to them by his team." Laithwaite said. "He has had to listen to wrongful accusations, opinions and attempts to apportion blame which have been incredibly painful and distressing."

The AAIB said through a spokesman that it follows "strict protocols" when it conducted an investigation, and "treats anyone coming forward with information with care. Anyone whose reputation may be affected is able to review draft reports and provide comments for consideration before it is published," the spokesman said.

(Image from file. Not accident aircraft)

FMI: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/air-accidents-investigation-branch