A plane which crashed killing two members of an Elstree flying club was low on fuel and travelling too slowly to stay in the air, an investigation has revealed.

A report into the accident, which killed two of Elstree Aero Club's longest serving members, married couple David and Christine Wall, shows that the light aircraft was flying so slowly it stalled, causing it to crash.

It is also likely that there was very little fuel on board at the time.

The tragic accident happened on August 2 last year when the couple, with two other passengers, took off from Elstree Aerodrome in the seven-seat twin-engine Cessna. David, 54, and Christine, 57, of Mill Hill, died in the crash less than a mile from their intended destination at Shobdon in Herefordshire.

The plane crashed into a farmer's field and caught fire. It not only resulted in the couple's death but also in Peter Dyson's, a 39-year-old Australian friend who was flying with them.

The fourth passenger, 21-year-old Steven Smith, son of Elstree Aero Club member Dave Smith, was the only survivor. He was rushed to hospital by air ambulance suffering from severe head injuries.

At the time of the accident, the club's chairman Nigel Hawes said of David and Christine: "I wouldn't say that they were adventurous, but they certainly loved a challenge. Their deaths have left a huge hole in our club."

Steven, also from Mill Hill, has very little recall of events on the day of the accident, but does have some vague memories of the flight.

He told investigators from the Department of Transport's Air Accident Investigation Branch, that just before the crash, he looked out of the window and saw they were flying very low. The speed was low and the stall warning horn sounded. The aircraft suddenly began spiralling to the left, but he had no recollection of the impact. He also had the impression that there was not much fuel on board.

An investigator said: "Steven was keen to differentiate between memories that were clear and those that were less so. He did however hear someone scream before the plane went down. The operator of the ground to air facility and a nearby radio ham also heard what sounded like a scream before they lost contact."

In summarising the cause of the accident, investigators said both engines had been mechanically sound -- although, at impact the left engine was stationary. Added to this the lack of fuel, it is therefore possible that mismanagement of the fuel system caused the left engine to stop.

The eyewitness accounts point to the twin engine aircraft suffering a failure of one engine and consequently flying below its minimum speed for flight.

The speed was then allowed to reduce further until the left wing stalled.

There was then insufficient height available to regain control of the aircraft and it plummeted to the ground.

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