Light aircraft pilot, 81, killed in crash just seconds into flight 'may have been incapacitated' during take-off

Published: 10:17, 19 July 2026 | Updated: 10:20, 19 July 2026 An elderly light aircraft pilot 'may have been incapacitated' when he took off and was killed in a crash seconds later. The 81-year-old - who had not been named - died in the accident on October 27 last year at Portmoak Airfield in Kinross, Scotland. A report from an Air Accidents Investigations Branch (AAIB) said no mechanical defects were identified on the Jodel D18 ultralight aircraft which was built in 1988 and had racked up 1,888 flying hours. The AAIB report concluded the pilot, who had a past of heart attacks and Type 2 diabetes, may have suffered a partial or complete physical incapacitation during take-off ground roll.  The aircraft twisted sharply to the right seconds after taking off before falling into a descending turn and crashing into the ground. The man, who the AAIB said had extensive experience flying the plane, was sadly found dead inside the wreckage in an adjacent field around 95m away.  The 81-year-old - who had not been named - died in the accident on October 27 last year at Portmoak Airfield in Kinross, Scotland Despite the conclusion, the report said the post-mortem examination did not reveal any obvious cause of a 'partial or complete incapacitation'. It said: 'The pathologist noted the history of heart disease and commented that in the absence of any other explanation for the accident that it was possible that the pilot may have experienced a cardiac arrhythmia.' The report continued: 'Incapacitation can be complete or it can be only partial, leaving a pilot partly aware and capable but not completely able to control or fly an aircraft. 'Given the lack of any technical malfunction that could explain the departure from controlled flight, it is possible that the pilot was incapacitated to some degree and was unable to either stop the aircraft or exert directional control either before or after take-off.'