Solo teenage pilot died as he tried to avoid a faster plane

A teenage pilot crashed his light plane and died after air traffic controllers ordered him to make way for a faster plane, an accident report has revealed.

Sixteen-year-old Sam Cross was on his landing approach when he was suddenly told to circle the airfield.

But the novice pilot, on only his second solo flight, stalled as he tried to turn his Cessna 150 and nosedived into a nearby park.

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He was later hailed by emergency services for managing to steer away from houses, a tower block and a school playground.

The teenager, from Hornchurch in Essex, had notched up 15 hours of training in the 24ft plane which can reach speeds of up to 162mph.

His father Jim had been waiting at Southend Airport for his son's return when he heard his plane had crashed.

He rushed to the scene but nothing could be done to save his critically- injured son. Witness Brian Nichols, 52, saw the plane hit the ground at Eastwood Park, Leigh- on-Sea, Essex, on July 19 last year.

He said: "I noticed it because it was flying at right angles to the flight path to Southend Airport.

"It was flying low and slow and was banking from one side to another.

"When it got near the park it seemed to turn left sharply. It looked like it stalled, then it nose- dived and came straight down spinning."

Donna Williams, chairman of the Beaver Tower Residents' Association, said that Sam swerved to avoid her home.

She said: "I think he realised he was going to hit the block and that's why he turned. Thank God he did, otherwise we could have been killed."

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The Air Accident Investigation Branch, in its crash report, noted that the control tower at Southend used "non-standard phrases" when asking the teenager to turn around.

The report said: "Having established the aircraft on final approach, the student was instructed to go around so that a faster aircraft approaching to land behind his aircraft would not catch up with it."

Sam was asked to circle the airfield to avoid the possibility of "conflict" with the plane on his tail.

"During this manoeuvre, the student flew level at low altitude and it is likely that the aircraft remained in the approach configuration with insufficient power to maintain flying speed.

"In level flight, the aircraft stalled at a height from which recovery was impossible and it struck the ground in a public park close to the airport."

The report recommended that the Civil Aviation Authority instruct controllers not to tell pilots coming into land to turn around unless there are "exceptional, over-riding" safety considerations.

It also said Southend Airport should give its air traffic controllers information about the handling of inexperienced pilots.

Both Southend Airport and the CAA said they accepted the report's findings.