Wings folded in fatal plane crash

Ray Wharam watched in horror as the wings of the plane folded in on themselves as the pilot "over-stressed" it by trying to climb too quickly.

He rushed to help pilot Brian Yoxall and passenger Terence Whitfield, but they had both died on impact, near Lidget Lane in Hellaby, a Rotherham inquest heard.

Their badly burned bodies were recovered from Mr Yoxall's single-engined Zenair craft by accident investigators near to the busy M18 in August 2006.

It was close to the housing estates of Bramley and Micklebring and the aircraft narrowly missed crash landing on the busy motorway.

Mr Wharam, a keen flyer who knew both men, tried to tackle the flames with fire extinguishers but the pair were already dead.

Coroner Stanley Hooper recorded a verdict that they died as a result of an accident.

After the inquest, Mr Wharam said: "I tried my best to save the men but unfortunately these things happen. It's a risk you take with flying, but you just hope it's never going to happen to you."

Mr Yoxall, aged 44, of Wakefield and Mr Whitfield, 79, of Mayfield Terrace, Askern, Doncaster, had taken the flight to look at a new airstrip.

It is believed Mr Yoxall pulled the aircraft into a steep descent before pulling up sharply in a possible attempt to avoid power cables.

Philip Slight, of the Air Accident Investigation Branch, said the wings failed because the aircraft was over-stressed by the manoeuvre.

Mr Yoxall's initial training was on an aircraft different from the Zenair, the inquest heard.

Accident investigator Georgina Dean said: "I suspect he didn't know a great deal about stress and structure of these aircrafts and how they can be easily loaded."

Tests on the aeroplane revealed its wings began to tear away from the body of the plane as it pulled up sharply to avoid power lines. The high G-forces effectively began to rip the two-seater plane's wings off its fuselage.

The two men had taken off from Askern Flying Club, based on a strip of land at Mr Whitfield's Church Farm on the afternoon of August 25.

The AAIB report said Mr Yoxall, a builder and flying buff, had bought the Czech Quick Build Kit aeroplane in May 2005. The friends were planning to examine a strip of farmland from the air.