A Falmouth business owner who died in a fatal crash at Newquay airport last year had been coming in for a second landing attempt after his private aircraft had bounced the first time.

Tony Richards, 68, who owned Sub Marine Services based at Falmouth Docks, was piloting his Piper Seneca V into his home airport following a three stage trip from the Czech Republic where he had bought the aircraft some days before.

But on his first landing attempt the aircraft had bounced, with the propeller blades hitting the ground, and Mr Richards began a go-around flight for a second attempt, before the aircraft suddenly yawed right and dropped steeply, crashing onto tarmac by a disused aircraft taxiway. Fire crews sent to the scene reported that the pilot had already died by the time they arrived.

According to an Air Incidents Investigations Bureau report on the crash, one witness described hearing a strange noise coming from the plane before it crashed. The report states: "He described a 'loud clattering,' somewhat similar to an 'unsilenced exhaust' on a car. He saw the aircraft flying towards the ATC tower, while turning right. As the turn continued, the angle of bank increased until the left wing was almost vertical. Then he saw the nose dropping and realised the aircraft would crash. Subsequently, he saw smoke rising from the accident site and drifting to the right."

Another witness described seeing the aircraft "make a couple of small 'hops'" during the first landing attempt, and then seeing a “'huge leap' and the aircraft bounce from one wheel to another."

The pilot had owned a number of different types of aircraft and had over 1,300 hours flying experience, although he had mainly been flying single engined planes over the last six years rather than the double engined type in which he crashed. In the final three months his only flying had been the 16+ hours of training in the Seneca and the flight to the UK..

It said that when he started his familiarisation training on the Seneca, his recent multiple engined plane flying practice was limited, although after ten hours of training his Czech instructor thought he should be able to conduct a solo cross-country flight in good visual weather conditions.

He had been accompanied by his instructor in the flight from the Czech Republic to Biggin Hill near London, who had offered to accompany him to Newquay. He had declined the offer, saying he would stop over in London and fly to Newquay the next day with another pilot or alone, but instead had flown later in the afternoon, after having a coffee at the airfield where he reported being very tired.

The report found that the Mr Richards' first landing had been faster than the normal recommended speed, with no flaps on the aircraft deployed, and suggested that this could have been due to his being "tired, unfamiliar with the aircraft and flying an approach into sun."

It found that the takeoff speed for the go-around may have been lower than necessary, which could have led to the plane stalling as it climbed.

It concluded: "The pilot made the decision to go around after a bounced landing. The aircraft was at a

slow speed and a degree of directional control appeared to have been lost. The aircraft commenced a continuous climbing turn, with an increasing angle of bank, before appearing to stall and enter an incipient spin at a height from which it was not possible to recover."