The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has opened an investigation into a light aircraft accident at Beccles Aerodrome in Suffolk, after three people were injured during an attempted landing on 28 October.
Emergency services were called to the aerodrome at Ellough, near Beccles, shortly after midday. Police, firefighters, paramedics and air ambulance crews attended the scene, while part of the site was closed off to allow the response and initial examination to take place.
Investigation under way
The AAIB has confirmed that its inspectors have started making enquiries into the circumstances of the accident. The investigation is at an early stage and no explanation for the aircraft’s descent has been released.
“An accident involving a light aircraft which occurred at Beccles Aerodrome on 28 October was notified to the AAIB. An investigation has launched and our inspectors have begun making enquiries.”
The three occupants sustained injuries. Suffolk Police said at the time that none of those hurt was believed to have suffered serious injuries. The casualty information reflects the position reported after the accident and may be subject to further confirmation as the investigation progresses.
What has been confirmed
- The aircraft was involved in an accident while attempting to land at Beccles Aerodrome.
- The incident occurred on 28 October, shortly after midday.
- Three people were injured, with no serious injuries believed to have been reported by Suffolk Police at the time.
- The AAIB has begun enquiries into the circumstances of the accident.
The AAIB is responsible for investigating civil aircraft accidents and serious incidents in the UK. Its work is intended to establish what happened and identify lessons that may help reduce the risk of similar occurrences. The branch’s investigation is separate from any emergency-service response or police activity at the aerodrome.
Beccles Aerodrome had not commented on the accident. The occurrence follows a fatal accident at the same aerodrome in March 2022, when pilot Peter Walker died while attempting to land a single-seat CT2K aircraft. An AAIB report on that earlier accident concluded that the aircraft bounced heavily twice on landing before climbing to around 100ft and subsequently crashing into a nearby rapeseed field. That earlier finding concerns a separate event and does not establish the circumstances of the October accident.
The latest investigation remains active, and the AAIB has not published findings on the aircraft’s operation, the landing attempt or any contributing factors.
