A crocodile which escaped in an aircraft cabin may have caused a plane crash which killed the British co-pilot and 18 passengers, an inquest heard.
The crocodile is believed to have climbed out of a holdall mid-flight and spooked an air hostess.
Panic spread through the packed plane as passengers stampeded towards the cockpit, the hearing was told.
And the forward shift in weight may have made the jet nose-dive to the ground shortly before it was due to land in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Co-pilot Chris Wilson, aged 39, and pilot Danny Philemotte were among victims who died instantly on the routine domestic flight across the African country.
No cause for the crash has ever been established.
But the only surviving passenger claimed a crocodile which escaped from a passenger’s sports bag may have caused the tragedy, the Gloucester inquest heard.
Assistant Coroner David Dooley summarized an email Chris’s dad Rob Wilson sent to officials in the Congo.
The coroner told the hearing: “Rob Wilson said he had spoken to the original investigator on the site who said that there was a gentleman who came up with a story about a crocodile.
“There is apparently a video of the crocodile being taken out of the plane.
“They think it may have frightened the cabin crew member and she ran forward, with the other passengers following.
“The weight shift caused by the panic may have affected the plane causing it to nose dive or stall.”
The coroner added: “It would have been a maximum of two or three feet in length.
“We don’t know if one was being carried for certain, although it was apparently quite normal for animals and chickens to be carried on the plane, it was used like a taxi in this regard.”
The inquest heard Chris, from Shurdington, Glos, was flying from the capital Kinshasa, to Bandundu airport on August 25 2010, when the tragedy happened.
The Let L-410 plane which was full to capacity and beginning the descent to land when it suddenly “fell out the sky like a leaf”.
A number of theories for the crash had been put forward – but none had been proven, the inquest was told.
Coroner Mr Dooley said evidence had been put forward about a fuel shortage, overloading of the plane, pilot error, engine failure, maintenance issues and a mass surge of passengers to the front of the plane.
Air accident investigator Timothy Atkinson reviewed evidence gathered by officials in the Congo. But he was not given the plane’s black box recorder and was unable to draw any definitive conclusions.
He said: “The aircraft struck a mud and brick building with a straw roof and it came to rest against another one on the ground.
“The most likely explanation I can find is that the aircraft stalled and, or was, in a spin prior to impact.
“There is no evidence suggesting an engine failure, or a nose dive, although I cannot be sure without looking at the plane.
“It would reinforce the idea that the accident appears to have the hallmarks of a stall and spin, which may have been from a variety of causes.
“Essentially, it fell out of the sky.”
Recording an open verdict, coroner Mr Dooley said: “Problems with direct witnesses and problems with the black box have only resulted in vague guesses as to what happened with this crash.
“All we have are possibilities rather than probabilities.
“I don’t believe any further efforts could have been made to obtain any further information.”
Reports after the tragedy said a passenger had intended to sell the crocodile hidden in a holdall on the flight.
It is thought the crocodile survived the disaster but was later killed with a machete by rescuers sifting through the wreckage.
The inquest heard how Chris moved to the Congo months before the disaster after giving up his cabin crew job with a British airline in a bid to become a commercial pilot.
He linked up with local air-line Filair for training and to get the 1,000 flying hours needed for his licence.
But the co-pilot became concerned about the flying ability of the airline’s owner Mr Philemotte.
Chris’s brother Martyn said in a statement to the inquest : “Every time he flew with Mr Philemotte there was always one incident or another.
“He said he didn’t want to fly with him anymore. He said if it wasn’t for the fact they could see where they were going, they wouldn’t ever get anywhere because Philemotte couldn’t read the instruments.
“He said he didn’t know how Philemotte was still alive – his flying was so bad. - See more at: http://citypeoplenews.com/escaped-crocodile-caused-plane-crash-which-killed-british-co-pilot-and-18-others/#sthash.e9gGXz7Z.dpuf
A crocodile which escaped in an aircraft cabin may have caused a plane crash which killed the British co-pilot and 18 passengers, an inquest heard.
The crocodile is believed to have climbed out of a holdall mid-flight and spooked an air hostess.
Panic spread through the packed plane as passengers stampeded towards the cockpit, the hearing was told.
And the forward shift in weight may have made the jet nose-dive to the ground shortly before it was due to land in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Co-pilot Chris Wilson, aged 39, and pilot Danny Philemotte were among victims who died instantly on the routine domestic flight across the African country.
No cause for the crash has ever been established.
But the only surviving passenger claimed a crocodile which escaped from a passenger’s sports bag may have caused the tragedy, the Gloucester inquest heard.
Assistant Coroner David Dooley summarized an email Chris’s dad Rob Wilson sent to officials in the Congo.
The coroner told the hearing: “Rob Wilson said he had spoken to the original investigator on the site who said that there was a gentleman who came up with a story about a crocodile.
“There is apparently a video of the crocodile being taken out of the plane.
“They think it may have frightened the cabin crew member and she ran forward, with the other passengers following.
“The weight shift caused by the panic may have affected the plane causing it to nose dive or stall.”
The coroner added: “It would have been a maximum of two or three feet in length.
“We don’t know if one was being carried for certain, although it was apparently quite normal for animals and chickens to be carried on the plane, it was used like a taxi in this regard.”
The inquest heard Chris, from Shurdington, Glos, was flying from the capital Kinshasa, to Bandundu airport on August 25 2010, when the tragedy happened.
The Let L-410 plane which was full to capacity and beginning the descent to land when it suddenly “fell out the sky like a leaf”.
A number of theories for the crash had been put forward – but none had been proven, the inquest was told.
Coroner Mr Dooley said evidence had been put forward about a fuel shortage, overloading of the plane, pilot error, engine failure, maintenance issues and a mass surge of passengers to the front of the plane.
Air accident investigator Timothy Atkinson reviewed evidence gathered by officials in the Congo. But he was not given the plane’s black box recorder and was unable to draw any definitive conclusions.
He said: “The aircraft struck a mud and brick building with a straw roof and it came to rest against another one on the ground.
“The most likely explanation I can find is that the aircraft stalled and, or was, in a spin prior to impact.
“There is no evidence suggesting an engine failure, or a nose dive, although I cannot be sure without looking at the plane.
“It would reinforce the idea that the accident appears to have the hallmarks of a stall and spin, which may have been from a variety of causes.
“Essentially, it fell out of the sky.”
Recording an open verdict, coroner Mr Dooley said: “Problems with direct witnesses and problems with the black box have only resulted in vague guesses as to what happened with this crash.
“All we have are possibilities rather than probabilities.
“I don’t believe any further efforts could have been made to obtain any further information.”
Reports after the tragedy said a passenger had intended to sell the crocodile hidden in a holdall on the flight.
It is thought the crocodile survived the disaster but was later killed with a machete by rescuers sifting through the wreckage.
The inquest heard how Chris moved to the Congo months before the disaster after giving up his cabin crew job with a British airline in a bid to become a commercial pilot.
He linked up with local air-line Filair for training and to get the 1,000 flying hours needed for his licence.
But the co-pilot became concerned about the flying ability of the airline’s owner Mr Philemotte.
Chris’s brother Martyn said in a statement to the inquest : “Every time he flew with Mr Philemotte there was always one incident or another.
“He said he didn’t want to fly with him anymore. He said if it wasn’t for the fact they could see where they were going, they wouldn’t ever get anywhere because Philemotte couldn’t read the instruments.
“He said he didn’t know how Philemotte was still alive – his flying was so bad.
