An experienced pilot who died when his gyroplane fell “straight out of the sky” at a Norfolk airfield was flying the small plane illegally, an inquest heard.

An experienced pilot who died when his gyroplane fell “straight out of the sky” at a Norfolk airfield was flying the small plane illegally, an inquest heard.

Ian Broderick Pit-Steel, known as Brod, had several hours' experience of fixed-wing aircraft and held a private pilot's licence (PPL) but was not licensed to fly the rotorcraft when he embarked on the fatal flight in his single-seater plane at Shipdham, near Dereham.

A jury inquest at Norwich heard the 44-year-old, of Gardyn Croft, Taverham, near Norwich, had told a club member that he would only carry out land-based exercises on June 29, 2003, but was later spotted having his first flight since completing his gyro training.

“I was aghast that he was airborne,” said Michael Simms, a gliding super-visor who needed to know the movements of all aircraft at Shipdham.

He added that the engine sounded normal and the glider appeared to be stable and flying level, but it then made a loud noise and fell nose first to the ground.

“There was a loud crack like a hand clap and from what I can recall there was no further engine noise, there was no further forward move and the gyro fell straight out of the sky,” he said.

“I then heard a single bang and as I was watching the machine pitched nose down and came vertically down to the ground.”

Roland Shimmons, a senior investigator with the Air Accidents Investigations Branch (AAIB), which looked in to the crash, said Mr Pit-Steel had held a PPL since July 2002 and began his gyro training the following month.

He agreed that that Mr Pit-Steel had less than 10 hours unsupervised flying in a gyro and his own plane may have had poor stability, which can lead to the rotor blades slowing down, bending and striking the gyro's tail or the propeller.

This could be brought on by the pilot causing the gyro to tilt up and down, or by a gust of wind.

Fellow AAIB investigator Stuart Hawkins said a number of features of the Mr Pit-Steel's gyro may have made it liable to poor stability but no mechanical fault had contributed to the accident.

Dominic Williams, head of gyro licensing at the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), said Mr Pit-Steel had applied for his gyro licence (PPLG) on June 27, just two days before his death.

“There was nothing untoward in the application and it is likely that he would have been issued a PPLG,” he said.

Asked if Mr Pit-Steel was legally entitled to fly on the day of his death, Mr Williams replied: “No, he was not.

“By the needs of licences to become valid to fly, no, he was not, and was open to allegations of criminal proceedings.”

The jury is expected to retire today.