Description

On 11 February 2009, two civil registered Grob 115E Tutors being operated for the UK Royal Air Force (RAF) and based at RAF St Athan near Cardiff were conducting Air Experience Flights (AEF) for air cadet passengers in uncontrolled airspace near Porthcawl in day Visual Meteorological Conditions (VMC) when they collided. Both aircraft were sufficiently damaged that they could no longer be controlled and they impacted the ground in the vicinity of the collision killing both pilots and both passengers and resulting in a fuel fed fire in one of the aircraft.

Investigation

An Investigation into the accident was carried out by the UK AAIB. It was established that the two aircraft, which had both been aware of the presence of a second AEF aircraft in the vicinity, had collided at an altitude of approximately 3,000 feet when within the normal operating area for RAF St Athan AEF sorties to the north-west of Cardiff Airport located between about 10 and 20 nm from St Athan. One aircraft had been on a westerly heading whilst the other had been closing from the south, probably whilst still turning left. The pilots of both aircraft were qualified military pilots and had been occupying the right hand seats of their respective aircraft.

It was determined that the right hand wing of the turning aircraft had struck the aft fuselage of the other, which had then become detached from the aircraft. The right wing of the other aircraft also appeared to have detached at, or very soon after, the point of collision. Both aircraft were thus rendered uncontrollable.