Fuel problem led to Monmouthshire A40 plane crash

A light aircraft crash on a dual carriageway was due to fuel problems, an accident report has found.

The plane carrying a pilot and two passengers came down on the A40 near Abergavenny in Monmouthshire in May last year.

Motorists Daniel Nicholson and Joel Snarr helped pull those on the plane free, before it burst into flames.

The pair were named as winners of the St David Awards for Bravery on Wednesday.

The plane, a single-engine four-seater Cirrus SR22, had set off from the Denham Aerodrome in Buckinghamshire to the Abergavenny airfield to pick-up passengers for a flight to Manchester.

But as the plane began its take-off from Abergavenny, pilot Stuart Moore realised there was a problem.

Air investigators said the plane's engines began "surging".

Thick smoke was visible after the plane came down

"The pilot felt there was insufficient runway remaining ahead on which to land the aircraft so decided there was little option but to continue the departure, climb away from the ground and carry out a forced landing at the earliest opportunity," said the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) findings.

"The pilot was aiming to land the aircraft on the dual carriageway, which runs parallel to the airfield, if he could clear the trees running parallel to the runway.

"However, the aircraft struck the trees and a power cable with its landing gear and this pitched it down rapidly so that it struck the road heavily. "

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The plane ended on its roof, trapping Mr Moore, his nephew, Jack Moore and niece Billie Manley, who were unable to break the windows to get out.

They were rescued just before the plane burst into flames - around 30 seconds after landing.

Stuart Moore (right) was the pilot and his nephew Jack Moore (left) and niece Billie Manley were on board

At the time, their rescuers said events happened "so quickly - and it's your nature that takes over".

"At the time, all I was thinking was to see if we could get them out - you can't walk away from a situation like that - I did what I did," said Daniel Nicholson.

Former army bomb disposal officer Joel Snarr said a fire had already started when he got to the plane.

"I got under the wing and I could see they they were all still alive, and obviously in a lot of distress.

"The pilot reached out through the cracked window and I just managed to grab hold of both is hands and tear him through."

Following the crash, an inspection of the engine revealed soot on the cylinders and intake valves, suggesting the engine was running a fuel mixture that was too rich, known as over-fuelling.

However, the AAIB report concluded it was not able to determine what caused the over-fuelling, as fire had destroyed engine systems and a date recorder could not be located after the crash.