tornado
15-04-2008, 12:31
A Cessna Citation business jet has crashed just minutes after taking off from London Biggin Hill Airport in Kent. The aircraft came down in a residential area, causing no injuries to those on the ground, but killing all five onboard the small, twin-engined jet.
According to Biggin Hill Airport chairman Andrew Walters, the Cessna’s pilot had made an emergency call shortly after takeoff. He requested that permission be granted for the aircraft to land back at Biggin, but, said Walters, this landing never happened.
"Unfortunately it crashed before reaching the airport", he stated.
The Cessna came down on a housing estate located in Farnborough, Kent. The impact of the crash destroyed one house, but its occupants were away at the time.
No official word has emerged on the identities of the two pilots and three passengers involved in the crash. However, it is understood that Richard Lloyd and David Leslie – both prominent figures in the world of motor sports – were among those killed.
Citation Pilot’s Emergency Call
The aircraft involved was a Citation I – one of a family of business jets produced by the US Cessna firm, and which first flew in its original form in 1969. It had taken off from Biggin Hill bound to France. *
One pilot, identified as “John”, told the BBC that had heard the Cessna pilot’s emergency call.
This call, said “John”, spoke of “severe engine vibrations”.
"You could hear the alarms in the cockpit”, he said.
"The pilot came back over the radio a second or two later and said 'We're going down, we're going down'. The radio stayed live, and as I turned off the runway I looked back and I saw the plane basically drop out of the sky.
"And then the radio went dead and black smoke came up from over the hill."
Emergency services were quick to attend the scene, while accident inspectors also arrived to review the situation.
Source – Airport International’s London Reporter
More... (http://www.airport-int.com/news/2008/03/31/cessna-jet-crashes-in-kent.asp)
According to Biggin Hill Airport chairman Andrew Walters, the Cessna’s pilot had made an emergency call shortly after takeoff. He requested that permission be granted for the aircraft to land back at Biggin, but, said Walters, this landing never happened.
"Unfortunately it crashed before reaching the airport", he stated.
The Cessna came down on a housing estate located in Farnborough, Kent. The impact of the crash destroyed one house, but its occupants were away at the time.
No official word has emerged on the identities of the two pilots and three passengers involved in the crash. However, it is understood that Richard Lloyd and David Leslie – both prominent figures in the world of motor sports – were among those killed.
Citation Pilot’s Emergency Call
The aircraft involved was a Citation I – one of a family of business jets produced by the US Cessna firm, and which first flew in its original form in 1969. It had taken off from Biggin Hill bound to France. *
One pilot, identified as “John”, told the BBC that had heard the Cessna pilot’s emergency call.
This call, said “John”, spoke of “severe engine vibrations”.
"You could hear the alarms in the cockpit”, he said.
"The pilot came back over the radio a second or two later and said 'We're going down, we're going down'. The radio stayed live, and as I turned off the runway I looked back and I saw the plane basically drop out of the sky.
"And then the radio went dead and black smoke came up from over the hill."
Emergency services were quick to attend the scene, while accident inspectors also arrived to review the situation.
Source – Airport International’s London Reporter
More... (http://www.airport-int.com/news/2008/03/31/cessna-jet-crashes-in-kent.asp)