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SO TRAGICPicture: SONYA DUNCAN

The dreadful moment much-loved pilot David Jenkins, right, lost his life when his light aircraft crashed next to an airfield in the Norfolk countryside

Tributes to wonderful and experienced pilot – coverage, pages 2, 3, 4 & 5

2 Eastern Daily PressThursday, April 23, 2015

Tragedy in Old Buckenham

How the tragedy unfolded in the skies above Norfolk

Warm tributes to a highly-skilled The aviation community is today mourning the loss of a champion aerobatics pilot, who died during a practice display.

David Jenkins died yesterday after-noon at Old Buckenham Airfield when he crashed during a practice display at a media event to launch this year’s airshow.

Mr Jenkins, who is believed to be in his 50s and from west Suffolk, was one of the Wildcat Aerobatics team and had arrived after his two colleagues, performing loops and turns before moving into a flat spin.

But he failed to recover from the spin and onlookers watched in horror as his Edge 360 plane crashed to the ground less than 100 metres away.

Despite the best efforts of emer-gency services, who were called just after 2.40pm, and others who were there, police confirmed that he died at the scene.

Tributes have been paid to Mr Jenkins, who was a two-time British advanced aerobatics champion and who has been described as a “true professional” and “one of the best pilots around”.

The Wildcats issued a statement on their website last night which said: “It is with great sadness that Wildcat Aerobatics confirm the death of David Jenkins – ‘Wildcat 3’.

“David was killed during an aero-batic practice at Old Buckenham airfield on Wednesday 22 April 2015.The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has been informed.”

He was a wonderful pilot. He was my hangar neighbour and was always there for advice and support

Peter Spencer

Lauren Copelauren.cope@archant.co.uk

� David Jenkins, right, with fellow members of the Wildcat Aerobatics team, from left, Willie Cruickshank and Al Coutts, preparing for a previous airshow at Old Buckenham. Picture: SONYA DUNCAN

3Eastern Daily Press Thursday, April 23, 2015

Tragedy in Old Buckenham

� From far left, a sequence of images showing how the tragedy unfolded.

pilotThe statement added: “David

joined Wildcat Aerobatics in 2013, to bring a new dynamic to our existing two-ship display by flying his Edge alongside our two Pitts Specials. We were honoured to fly alongside him.

“David was highly respected on the ground and in the air and will be greatly missed. His family and friends are very much in our thoughts, and we ask that you respect everyone’s privacy at this difficult time.”

Peter Spencer, secretary of the Fersfield Flying Group, based in south Norfolk, said: “He was a wonderful pilot. I first joined the air group 22 years ago and he was my hangar neighbour and he was always there for advice and support.

“He welcomed me into the group and he was a good friend.”

Simon Garrett, a pilot who flew out of the airfield yesterday morning, said he only found out about the news when he returned last night.

He said: “We were due to land back here, but were diverted because of this emergency. We didn’t know anybody had died until now.

“It is a terrible tragedy and very unusual because the teams involved are highly skilled.

“I knew the gentleman involved and he was very experienced.”

Matt Wilkins, airfield manager, said that the incident would be passed to the Air Accidents Investigation Branch and the police.

Ambulance, fire crews from Attleborough, Long Stratton and Wymondham, police officers and the air ambulance all attended.

The airfield was cordoned off at the entrance and the seal was expected to stay in place overnight.

A file will be prepared and passed to the coroner.

� Would you like to pay tribute to Mr Jenkins? Email reporter Lauren Cope on lauren.cope@archant.co.uk

� Eyewitness reaction – Pages 4-5

Licence was gained after a career in fibre opticsDavid Jenkins was introduced to flying when he was just a teenager hanging around at Panshangar airfield near Welwyn Garden City, according to his profile on the Wildcat Aerobatics website.After a career in fibre optics, he was persuaded to get his private pilot’s licence by a work colleague who had his own licence. He started flying in 1985 and has been flying aerobatics for over 10 years, joining the Wildcats in 2013. He borrowed a friend’s aircraft for a couple of years and started aerobatic competition until, in 2004, he bought his first aircraft – a home-built single-seat Laser in which he won many competitions.In 2009, he sold the Laser and was able to buy a second-hand carbon-fibre Edge aircraft in the US and imported it to

the UK where he has been competing and displaying with it. He rebuilt the aircraft and maintained it himself.Since starting competing, he has been a regular competitor at UK aerobatics competitions, winning more than 40 medals including:

� British advanced national champion 2012 and 2013.

� British advanced aerobatic team member at the world championships 2012.

� British advanced aerobatic team member at European championships 2011.

� Swinstead Trophy winner as leader of the intermediate annual points table in 2008 and 2009.

� British standard aerobatics champion 2005.He has held a Civil Aviation Authority display authorisation since 2006. � David Jenkins pictured preparing for a previous Wildcat Aerobatics flight.

Aerobatics team appears across the country

Wildcat Aerobatics is Old Buckenham’s home-based display team.The team, which was formed in 2010, was established to promote aerial sport and provide formation aerobatic displays to entertain hundreds of thousands of spectators every year at shows across the country.David Jenkins was part of the team which included Al Coutts, who learned to fly in Swaziland in 1992 and has since won multiple aerobatic competitions, and Willie Cruickshank, a former fast jet pilot who was one of the last commanding officers of RAF Coltishall.They fly Pitts Special biplanes, an aircraft which was first flown in 1944, dominated world aerobatic competitions in the 1960s and 1970s, and

is described as still being one of the world’s leading high-performance aerobatic biplanes.The display fleet is made up of a pair of iconic Pitts Special biplanes joined by an Edge 360 high-performance monoplane.Wildcat Aerobatics also provides introductory flights to people eager to experience the thrills of flying formation aerobatics.The group also performs at other events, including wedding functions, and specialises in creating smoke patterns across the sky, including a trademark “Heart in the Sky” routine.The team also supports charities, including Alzheimer’s Research UK.

� Visit www.wildcataerobatics.com for more information.

4 Eastern Daily PressThursday, April 23, 2015

Tragedy in Old Buckenham

There was nothing we could do, say the first couple on the scene

It was supposed to be a day of excite-ment, a chance to marvel at wartime aircraft and even enjoy a whirlwind trip up above the airfield.

The EDP and Mustard TV had been invited to an airshow press preview, where the organisers had planned to reveal an impressive line-up for what they hoped would be their biggest and best show to date.

And as the clouds dispersed and the sun beamed down, the anticipa-tion was palpable.

A 1940s Staggerwing, vintage trucks and cars and a nuclear missile sat just outside the main building as around 20 spectators crowded outside to watch the Wildcat Aerobatics team start their show.

Two-thirds arrived first – as Mr Coutts and Mr Cruickshank roared

by, spinning and looping, landing on the runway just metres away.

Fifteen minutes later, the sound of Mr Jenkins’ Edge 360 came into earshot.

Spectators peered round, ready for the next instalment, as he confidently performed the group’s usual stom-ach-turning rolls and spins, before veering off to the left.

It was then he moved into the flat spin, rotating quickly towards the ground, an empty area of grassland less than 50 metres from the crowd.

There were no words of concern – Mr Jenkins was an incredibly experi-enced pilot who had performed the same manoeuvre countless times.

But a plume of thick smoke and a flash of flames signalled something had gone terribly wrong – and cries of “crash” from fellow pilots and airshow staff confirmed the horror.

They sprang into action – calling the emergency services and sprinting to the scene to do what they could, as the area fell quiet.

A husband and wife, who wished to remain anonymous, were first to the

crash site. She said: “We feel totally numb, shocked and upset. I said, ‘It’s crashed, it’s crashed’, but I didn’t believe it was happening.

“We drove down because I, proba-bly stupidly, thought there was some chance we could help and get him out. We got down to the plane but it was just an inferno – the front half was intact but the back end was gone.”

The husband bravely battled the blaze with a small extinguisher from his car, before emergency services took over and began attempting to piece together what had happened.

Back at the centre, there were quiet murmurs of disbelief and tears from his friends in the stunned silence.

It was broken by the noise of sirens and the arrival of the air ambulance, which hovered overhead, as it became clear the accident was fatal.

Spectators remained on scene as police officers took statements and attempted to piece together how such a tragic accident had happened to a pilot with so many years of experi-ence behind him.

� Comment – Page 34

We feel totally numb. I said, ‘It’s crashed’, but I didn’t believe it was happening

Eyewitness

Lauren Copelauren.cope@archant.co.uk

� The aftermath of the crash at Old Buckenham Airfield.

Picture: SONYA DUNCAN

� Emergency services in attendance at Old Buckenham.

5Eastern Daily Press Thursday, April 23, 2015

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Tragedy in Old Buckenham

I think everyone there was in shock – it was horrible Journalists who had been at Old Buckenham Airfield for a media launch event have spoken of their shock at the tragedy that unfolded, as Peter Walsh reports.

Video journalist Mark Summers was filming the event for Mustard TV and caught the pilot’s tragic last moments on camera.The 27-year-old, who was one of just a handful of journalists present at the airshow launch event, said: “It’s difficult to say when he lost control, but it seemed like he edged right and then lost a bit

of balance and then his plane started to spin, which was a trick but he just kept falling and falling and couldn’t get out of that. There’s a point where you think it’s fine, he will pull out of this, and then you think he’s got to pull out of this but he doesn’t – it’s a shock. It’s really shocking to see – I felt really quite sick.”Mr Summers added: “For me, one of the really tragic parts is that his mates were the ones who put out the fire which was caused by the crash.”EDP reporter Lauren Cope, 22, said: “Two of the Wildcats had already

been up and as we were talking they said that David was arriving. He flew in and started doing some rolls and loops before moving over to an area just to the left. “He started spinning downwards, but no-one thought anything of it. They are professionals and up until the very last minute it all seemed planned.“Then we saw the smoke and someone shouted ‘crash’ and they were straight on the phone to the emergency services. Even then, it didn’t seem real. It was so shocking to see. I think everyone there was in shock – it was horrible.”

Just four models of the Edge to be found in Europe

The Edge aircraft is US-made and there are only four of its type in Europe.It has a 6.4-litre four-cylinder air-cooled engine which develops 240HP at its maximum speed of 2700rpm.This gives the aircraft a power to weight ratio of 515 HP/ton which is more than the 205mph (0-60 3.4secs) Porsche 911GT2 RS which “only” has 460 HP/ton.The aircraft’s maximum speed is 240mph

and the stall speed is 70mph. During air displays spectators can see it fly at speeds close to the maximum of 240mph.The wing is made from carbon fibre and the fuselage from a welded tubular steel space frame covered with aluminium panels and fabric.The whole aircraft weighs only 1,045lbs (475kg).

� The Edge, middle, in action with other Wildcat Aerobatics aircraft. Picture: DENISE BRADLEY

The Old Buckenham Airshow

The Old Buckenham Airshow is one of the biggest of its kind in Norfolk and Suffolk.It attracts thousands each year with its impressive display of aircraft and vehicles, vintage dance event and newly-launched food village.Visitors can also enjoy tank rides, monster trucks, classic cars and a funfair.The world-renowned Spitfire MH434 and Mustang ‘Ferocious Frankie’ both make appearances at the show and in 2012 aviator and airshow commentator Brendan O’Brien broke

a world record for the shortest distant truck top landing recorded.The former Second World War base was home to the USAAF 453rd Bombardment Group, where Major James Stewart – better known as Oscar-winner Jimmy Stewart – was operations officer.This year, to mark 70 years from the end of the Second World War, a special American theme has been planned.It hopes to commemorate the 366 servicemen who died while serving at the airbase.

� Spectators enjoy a previous airshow at Old Buckenham. Picture: ANTONY KELLY