Report into two men killed in Thorganby plane crash

Pilot Matthew Bird, 21, and passenger Oliver Dawes, 24, died after the two-seater Cessna FRA150L aircraft crashed in a field near Thorganby, south of York, on Sunday, July 28, 2024.

In a report published by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) on April 30, 2026, a spokesperson confirmed that the crash took place after Mr Bird was unable to recover the plane whilst practising aerobatic flying – despite being a ‘particularly competent pilot’.

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They added that the aircraft “entered a fully developed spin to the left but, when recovery actions were commenced, the control column was not pushed far enough forward to un-stall the wing”.

The report states that the aircraft, containing Mr Bird and Mr Dawes, departed from Breighton Airfield at around 8.15am on the morning of the incident – informing radar control that they intended to perform aerobatic manoeuvres between 3,000 and 6,000ft.

Video footage inside the cockpit showed Mr Bird successfully performing manoeuvres, before attempting the final spin to the left where, despite his best efforts, he was unable to regain control of the aircraft.

A mayday call was made to air traffic control, but the aircraft remained in a spin until it struck the ground nose-down – fatally injuring the pilot and passenger.

The recording showed that the engine was running throughout the flight, including during the landing, and that the pilots were not wearing parachutes – something that meant impact was ‘unlikely to have been survivable’.

Further investigation found that Mr Bird was described by his instructors as a “particularly competent pilot with an enthusiastic and conscientious attitude to flying”, adding that he had plans to begin further training at Sherburn on the day after the accident.

Despite this, he was still relatively inexperienced in aerobatic flight and spinning with analysis suggesting that, whilst he had been quick to recover the aircraft in training, he appeared surprised and startled when the aircraft did not recover quickly from the spin.

As a result, he did not realise that the control column remained “aft of neutral” – meaning it had become uncontrollable by a human pilot – and he was unable to recover the plane as it descended.

A spokesperson for AAIB said: “The pilot was known to be sensible and conscientious and there was nothing to suggest that this was not the case in this flight. However, this accident and the CAA ‘loss of control’ video highlight how unexpectedly challenging multiple turn spins can be.”

They added that, following this accident, the Civil Aviation Authority intended to promote to flying schools its safety sense leaflet and video about spin awareness and the use of parachutes.

It is also considering expanding its syllabus to include psychological, behaviour and attitude aspects.

In a statement made at the time, Mr Dawes’ family said: “Yesterday, we lost a dearly loved son, cousin, nephew and friend. Oliver will continue to live on in our hearts and memories as the kind, generous, hardworking and fun man he had become.

“We will miss him every day for the rest of our lives, we are heartbroken.”

Mr Bird’s family said: “We have lost our son, a brother, grandson, nephew, cousin and friend.  Matthew meant so much to so many. We are utterly heartbroken but he will live on in our hearts as we cherish the incredibly special memories he’s left us with.”