INSPECTIONS carried out on a plane involved in a fatal crash that killed a Hindon pilot were inadequate, a coroner has said.

Kenneth Hugh Wilson, 63, died on May 24 last year when his CASA 1-131E Jungmann hit a telephone wire at Stourton Caundle, Dorset.

Mr Wilson, who had been taking people up in the aeroplane to raise money for his local church, was attempting an emergency landing after encountering engine problems.

At an inquest in Dorchester on Thursday, Philip Sleigh, principal inspector of the Air Accident Investigation Board, said the plane’s fuel pump was showing wear and was not supplying enough fuel to the engine.

He said most organisations carrying out airworthiness inspections would use test equipment to check a plane's engine compression, but in this case only a hand test was carried out, which was subjective, and no figures were recorded.

When asked if he would have flown the aircraft knowing this information, Mr Sleigh said he probably wouldn’t have.

West Dorset coroner Michael Johnson said he will now write to the Light Aircraft Association and the Ministry of Justice about the findings.

He said: “The fact the aircraft was examined five days before and passed to fly astonishes me. I think it’s horrifying.

“It’s an accident that I feel was totally avoidable. The plane could have landed on someone's house. The public expects a proper examination is carried out but I can't see that's what happened in this case.”

Mr Wilson was chairman of the Friends of Hindon Church and had agreed to give five flights at £50 each to raise £250 for the church maintenance fund.

The crash occurred on his fourth flight, and he died instantly from head injuries.

His passenger, Emma Kenrick-Piercy, 26, also from Hindon, suffered serious injuries and had to be cut from the wreckage and airlifted to hospital.

Verdict: accidental death.