The AAIB investigation revealed that the aircraft stalled, rolled and yawed left, struck the ground inverted, and caught fire. There was no evidence of malfunction or failure of the flying control systems. The reason for the loss of control could not be definitively established, according to the AAIB.
Possibilities included inappropriate control input by the pilot, failure to control yaw during takeoff, or pilot incapacitation. Geraint Herbert, principal inspector at the AAIB, said, "We can tell you what happened but we can't tell you why. " A post-mortem found that Mr Hughes suffered from moderate-to-severe coronary artery disease, which can cause sudden cardiac events or severe chest pain, according to forensic histopathologist Dr Martin Goddard.
However, the AAIB said there was no definitive evidence that a medical episode occurred. The medical cause of death was effects of fire, principally inhalation of products of combustion, according to pathologist Dr Alexandar Kolar. The post-mortem also found that Mr Hughes was alive after the impact of the crash.
We can tell you what happened but we can't tell you why. We can't infer what someone was thinking.
A HEMS doctor verified his death at 2:43pm on July 28, 2024. An inquest opening was held on August 13, 2024, with a full inquest date not yet scheduled at that time. According to major media reports, the inquest established that a medical episode potentially impairing his ability to fly safely was not the only possible cause for the crash.
A verdict on Mr Hughes's death is set to be returned by the inquest jury in the near future, according to major media reports. The crash occurred less than a year after another fatal accident at the same airfield. Trevor Bailey, 68, died on August 22, 2023 after his Spitfire replica crashed during a test flight at Enstone Airfield.
He was performing the 20th test flight of a replica Spitfire before it was due to be signed off by the Light Aircraft Association. The test was to check new stall strips installed on the wings, recommended by Mr Bailey, to prevent the aircraft dipping to the right on stalling. After two successful stalls, on the third stall the pilot did not recover and the plane went into a shallow spiral dive before crashing, according to eyewitnesses.
Trevor Bailey died from a traumatic brain injury, according to the post-mortem examiner. The aircraft was a kit plane ordered from America and built by a team of three to four people, according to Roy Noble. The AAIB report on Peter Hughes' crash is available for download as 'Spitfire MK 26B, G-ENAA 01-26'.