Inquest finds plane Ian Daglish was flying had wear on fuel valve and shaft

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The plane which crashed into two houses in Salford, tragically killing an Alderley Edge pilot in 2011 had significant wear on its fuel valve and shaft.

An inquest into the death of Ian Daglish, from Swiss Hill, concluded that this led to a lack of fuel supply and resulted in the reduction of power which is the most likely the cause of the incident.

Ian, 59, was flying a Piper Tomahawk PA 38-112 aircraft when it crashed into houses in the Eccles area of Salford soon after taking off from Barton City Airport on July 29th 2011.

He sadly passed away two days later at Wythenshawe Hospital as a result of extensive burns and inhalation caused by products of combustion.

Following an apparently normal take off, the aircraft engine suffered a reduction in power at approximately 200 feet from the ground, resulting in a critical loss of air speed. The aircraft descended rapidly and there is evidence that an attempt was made to regain control of the plane during descent. Witness testimony and received transmissions showed that Ian Daglish was conscious and aware during this sequence of events.

The aircraft collided with a single storey extension of a resident property causing substantial damage to one wing and fuel leakage. The aircraft then impacted the two storey extension of an adjacent property and came to rest between the two houses.

The fuel released by the damaged wing tanks resulted in a catastrophic fire which was the cause of the burns and inhalation of the product of combustion which ultimately resulted in the death of the Alderley Edge father of two.

A six-day inquest was held at Bolton Coroner's Court last week, during which 21 witnesses were called. After which the jury concluded that the significant wear on the shaft and valve led to the lack of fuel supply which in turn led to the reduction of power, which is the most probable cause of the incident.

Ian was an experienced pilot having held his licence since 1989. He had flown over 400 hours and was considered "a competent, risk aware and conscientious pilot".

Ian was very fond of the village where he lived with his wife Joy and two daughters, Hazel and Fiona. Ian was a member of the Alderley Edge History Group and the Edge Association, and the published author of a series of military history books.

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Ian Daglish
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Marc Asquith
Tuesday 26th November 2013 at 9:02 pm
AAIB Report is here: http://bit.ly/HzkMev