Former Dorset PC and child died in skydiving exercise

The plane crashed shortly after 16 parachutists jumped from it at an altitude of 13,000ft

A former Dorset police officer and a young child died when their plane crashed during a skydiving exercise, an inquest heard.

Neil Bowditch, 47, and Kacper Kacprzak, seven, died in the crash in the Republic of Ireland in May 2018.

Mr Bowditch was flying the plane as part of a skydiving exercise at Clonbullogue Airfield in County Offaly.

A court heard 16 skydivers, including Kacper's father, had jumped from the aircraft shortly before the incident.

Somerset Coroner's Court, in Taunton, heard that while returning to the airfield Mr Bowditch, who was the pilot of the Cessna light aircraft, advised by radio he was on "left base" ahead of the approach leg to land.

No further radio transmissions or a mayday call were received and a short time later it was established that the aircraft had crashed nose-down into a forested peat bog at nearby Ballaghassan.

'Lost control'

Senior coroner Tony Williams said: "The aircraft was destroyed but there was no fire, and both the pilot and child passenger were fatally injured.

"The investigation determined that the probable cause of the accident was a loss of control in a steeply banked left-hand turn, leading to a rapid loss of altitude."

Mr Williams said the boy, who was sitting in the co-pilot seat, was travelling on the aircraft with his parents' permission and had been on board during previous flights.

A post-mortem examination found Mr Bowditch, who lived in Stafford but was originally from Taunton, died from massive generalised trauma.

The light aircraft, flown by former police officer Neil Bowditch, crashed into a forested peat bog near Ballaghassan

The inquest heard the Air Accident Investigation Unit in the Republic of Ireland made a series of safety recommendations, including the Irish Parachute Club prohibiting the carrying of passengers unless critical to the flight.

Mr Williams recorded a conclusion that the experienced pilot died from an accident.

Mr Bowditch, who was also known as Billy, was dismissed from Dorset Police in 2015 after he became involved with a vulnerable woman he met during the course of his job.