AAIB begins on-site investigation following business jet crash
Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) inspectors have begun work at the scene after a Cessna Citation 500 twin-engine jet crashed yesterday (30 March) into a house in the residential Romsey Close, in Farnborough, Kent.
The aircraft went down shortly after take-off from Biggin Hill airport - about 2.5mi (4km) to the north - and all three passengers and two crew were killed. Nobody on the ground was reported injured.
Another pilot taking off from Biggin Hill heard the Cessna crew radio to the tower that they were ”going down” and described how he then saw the aircraft ”drop out of the sky.”
”As I turned off the runway I looked back and saw the plane basically drop out of the sky and then the radio went dead, and the black smoke came up from over the hill,” he said.
A woman resident in the area said she saw ”two balls of black smoke ” you could smell the fuel, and the ambulances were on site quite quickly.”
Chief Superintendent Charles Griggs, Borough Commander of Bromley, told press in Farnborough this morning that the next of kin of four of the deceased had been informed and Family Liaison Officers appointed.
An AAIB spokeswoman told ABTN: ”Our inspectors are on the scene and investigating all aspects of the accident. It is not possible to speculate on the cause at this stage.
”The aircraft is registered in a private category and flight data recorders (black boxes) are not required and were not fitted.
”The AAIB will produce a preliminary report within 28 days.”
A statement from Biggin Hill airport ” about 12 miles from the centre of London, and dedicated to business aviation operators ” said the pilot was Captain Mike Roberts, a ”very experienced commercial pilot.” It praised his cool judgment in managing the aircraft emergency.
His business partner of 15 years, Mike Wells said: ”He would have done everything in his power to minimize the effects of this tragic incident on his colleagues, passengers and people on the ground.”
A Cessna spokesman told ABTN: ”It is a matter for the AAIB at this stage - we are fielding a team of engineers to support them in their work.
”The aircraft was a Cessna Citation 500 - certified for dual pilot operations - and was manufactured in 1975, so it was quite an old aircraft. Between 1971 and 1982 Cessna produced over 650 of these Citation 500 and 501s, but manufacturing stopped in 1982.
”Obviously we are deeply saddened by the crash but we are not making further comment at this stage.”
Biggin Hill”s statement read: ”Thousands of flights are in the air over Europe and in and out of London everyday and 7% of them are business aviation flights which have an excellent safety record, on a par with scheduled airline services.
”This was a most unusual event for twin-engine business jets, anywhere in the world.”
Recovery services will be at the site for several days, and residents of Romsey Close are staying with friends, family or in local hotels as it could be some time before they can return to their homes.