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| Caernarfon air crash report suggests engine ice cause | Caernarfon air crash report suggests engine ice cause |
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| A light aircraft crash at Caernarfon airport in which a passenger died may have been caused by ice in the engine, an official report said. | A light aircraft crash at Caernarfon airport in which a passenger died may have been caused by ice in the engine, an official report said. |
| Iain Nuttall, 37, from Blackburn, died when a Piper Cherokee flown by his father lost power and hit a tree as it approached the airfield in May 2013. | Iain Nuttall, 37, from Blackburn, died when a Piper Cherokee flown by his father lost power and hit a tree as it approached the airfield in May 2013. |
| The Air Accident Investigations Branch (AAIB) report said it found no mechanical faults with the engine. | The Air Accident Investigations Branch (AAIB) report said it found no mechanical faults with the engine. |
| The report added that the dead man may not have been strapped into his seat. | The report added that the dead man may not have been strapped into his seat. |
| John Nuttall, 61, had hired the four-seater aircraft at Blackpool Airport and took off at 10:30 BST on 19 May 2013, flying to Caernarfon with his son Iain and grandson Daniel, five, on board. | John Nuttall, 61, had hired the four-seater aircraft at Blackpool Airport and took off at 10:30 BST on 19 May 2013, flying to Caernarfon with his son Iain and grandson Daniel, five, on board. |
| Witnesses at Caernarfon told investigators the plane was flying very low, appeared slow and was making spluttering noises before it hit a tree and crashed nose down just inside the airfield boundary. | Witnesses at Caernarfon told investigators the plane was flying very low, appeared slow and was making spluttering noises before it hit a tree and crashed nose down just inside the airfield boundary. |
| The pilot and child survived the crash and were taken to hospital with serious injuries. | The pilot and child survived the crash and were taken to hospital with serious injuries. |
| The report said the pilot had had a licence since 2006, was familiar with the route and that weather conditions had been suitable for the flight. | The report said the pilot had had a licence since 2006, was familiar with the route and that weather conditions had been suitable for the flight. |
| However, investigators found that atmospheric conditions on the day suggested a risk of the plane's carburettor suffering "serious icing at any power" in the latter part of the flight. | However, investigators found that atmospheric conditions on the day suggested a risk of the plane's carburettor suffering "serious icing at any power" in the latter part of the flight. |
| "The investigation did not find any evidence of a failure within the engine but the atmospheric conditions were conducive to carburettor icing," the report said. | |
| The pilot could not remember when or for how long he had applied carburettor heating in an attempt to clear the ice, it added. | The pilot could not remember when or for how long he had applied carburettor heating in an attempt to clear the ice, it added. |
| The report also highlighted the benefits of a correctly-warn harness, noting that two of the three people on board survived the crash. | The report also highlighted the benefits of a correctly-warn harness, noting that two of the three people on board survived the crash. |
| The report said: "A post-mortem examination was carried out on the deceased passenger. There was evidence to suggest that the passenger had not been restrained by either a lap or shoulder harness at the time of the accident." | The report said: "A post-mortem examination was carried out on the deceased passenger. There was evidence to suggest that the passenger had not been restrained by either a lap or shoulder harness at the time of the accident." |