A two-seater Jodel D120 crash-landed in Belhus Woods Country Park on September 7, 2024, leaving the pilot seriously injured but alive after a terrifying ordeal.
‘Mayday’ Call Signals Trouble in the Skies
The Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) has revealed the harrowing final moments before the crash. The pilot had taken off from Damyns Hall Aerodrome after a morning flight from Farthing Corner, Kent.
Moments after leaving runway 21, a desperate “mayday” call crackled over the radio, alerting emergency services to engine trouble. The plane then plummeted into a wooded field just a kilometre from the airfield.
Plane Spirals Out of Control Before Smash
Investigators say the aircraft went into a tightening left turn — possibly spinning — starting at around 900 feet before it nosedived. Control was lost, and the plane was utterly destroyed on impact.
Eyewitness Describes Terrifying Crash
Alex Sarzi-Sartori, who was at a nearby archery club, spotted the doomed plane heading straight towards him. He noticed the propeller wasn’t turning and the plane was ominously silent.
“It was going away from us, then turned back as if aiming to land in a field,” Alex told the Romford Recorder. “When I got closer, the propeller was pinned to the pilot’s seat. Fuel was gushing out everywhere – we feared it would go up in flames.”
Engine Mystery: What Went Wrong?
The 1960-built plane, owned by the pilot since 1996, had a valid permit until March 2025. Despite a thorough engine examination, investigators found no clear cause for the failure.
The pilot remains in hospital with no memory of the flight or events before it. Without any black box or flight data, the AAIB admits the crash cause is a mystery.
“With no pilot recall, no data recorders, and no mechanical findings, the cause of the accident cannot be established,” the report concludes.
