'Damage' of Bagby plane crash arrests 'cannot be undone'

BBC News

16-07-2025

The co-owner of an aviation maintenance company has said the "damage and distress" caused by his arrest following the death of a young pilot in a plane crash "cannot be undone".Matthew Fox, of Fox Aircraft Engineering, was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter alongside his father and chief engineer in connection with the death of Harvey Dunmore, 21, at Bagby Airfield in July 2023.In June, an Air Accident Investigations Branch (AAIB) report found "no identifiable defects that could have caused or contributed" to the crash - pointing instead to an "intermittent fault" with the aircraft's trim system as the "most likely" cause.Mr Fox said he hoped the AAIB findings would result in the police investigation into his firm being "promptly ended" and that the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) would reinstate his employees' licences and allow them to return to work.
Mr Dunmore, who worked for Fox, had been returning from Abbeyshrule in Ireland, when he crashed on the approach to Bagby.The AAIB report said shortly after he had made a call to the airfield the plane entered a steep nose dive before hitting some trees and exploding on impact with the ground. Following the crash, three men were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter before being release under investigation.After the publication of the report, North Yorkshire Police confirmed their investigation was still ongoing. In a statement sent to the BBC, Mr Fox said "We commend the AAIB's thorough investigation leading to the conclusion that the accident was likely to have been caused by an intermittent runaway trim failure which the pilot would have found difficult to recover from."The damage and distress caused by the very public arrests of three members of our organisation cannot now be undone, however we hope that the CAA will swiftly overturn the provisional suspensions of three of our engineers' licences and allow them to return to their work as professionals in the industry. "Furthermore, we hope that the investigation being undertaken by North Yorkshire Police, in conjunction with the CAA, in relation to accusations of gross negligence manslaughter will be promptly ended."These accusations have had a significant impact on the organisation, but most importantly on the individuals unjustly accused."We wish to clarify that Fox Aircraft Engineering had no involvement in the planning, co-ordination or operation of the flight associated with the tragic crash."
According to the AAIB report, the Piper aircraft, which was based at Abbeyshrule Airfield, was owned by a group of Irish directors connected to the horseracing industry. On the day of the crash, Mr Dunmore had flown five passengers from Deauville in France to Abbeyshrule before returning alone to Bagby.The AAIB said a post-impact fire had "destroyed a significant amount of physical evidence".One "anomaly", however, suggested a "pitch trim runaway" was the most likely cause of the nose-dive, the report said.An AAIB spokesperson said this was a situation where a system aimed at reducing a pilot's workload, by controlling the pitch, malfunctioned.According to the report, there was insufficient evidence to say it was the "definitive cause of the accident", but other possible reasons were found to be unlikely.
According to the AAIB report, following the crash the CAA had carried out a survey of Fox Aircraft Engineering and found "discrepancies in the maintenance of three aircraft" including the plane Mr Dunmore had been flying.It said "the survey findings resulted in the CAA provisionally suspending the maintenance organisation's approvals".Fox said in its statement the two other aircraft had since been "released to service" following further surveys and they were not aware of the nature of the CAA's ongoing investigations.Responding to company's statement a CAA spokesperson said: "We have written to each person affected to explain the reasons for the provisional suspension of their licence. We have also sent a provisional suspension letter to Fox Aircraft Engineering regarding the approvals held by the organisation."The UK Civil Aviation Authority continues to support the investigation by North Yorkshire Police. Our regulatory investigation into the maintenance and airworthiness certification of the three aircraft identified in the letter is ongoing."We will consider next steps once these investigations are complete."
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