‘Accidental death’ verdict after jet crash inquest..

An inquest has decided a former Coventry Uni student killed when the plane he was in crashed into a house died accidentally.



25-year old Christopher Allarton – who lived in the city and had a degree in motorsport engineering – died when the private Cessna came down minutes after take-off in Kent in March 2008.

One of the four other people on board who died was motorsport legend David Leslie.

Luckily the owner of the house was away on holiday and his wife Pat had returned early and was on her way back when the accident happened.

In the final moments pilot Mike Roberts had told air traffic control: “We have a major problem, a major problem. It looks as though we’re going in, we’re going in.”

The inquest heard it was “most likely” that a mechanical failure within the air cycle machine – part of the air conditioning and pressurising system – caused the engine vibration which led the crew to try to return to Biggin Hill.

It was en-route to France.

Witnesses reported seeing the Bermuda-registered aircraft flying low above a residential area and a playing area. It then hit a house in Romsey Close, Farnborough, Kent, causing a major fire which destroyed the building.

Both pilots were qualified to operate on the day, March 30, 2008 and the weather conditions were good with a light westerly wind and good visibility with a cloud base of 4,000ft.

Returning their verdicts at Bromley Civic Centre, the jurors said the presence of “black box” flight recording equipment would have helped with the investigation into the cause of the crash.