Flying in cloud
Flying in cloud requires the right skills, qualifications, and preparation.
An AAIB investigation in 2022 highlighted the importance of being properly qualified to fly in cloud.
Our podcast and animation cover the safety guidance and resources that pilots should be aware of.
Victor Alpha serves as a vital safety reminder to all pilots about flying in cloud over water and land, and the importance of being licensed to fly in different weather conditions.
Victor Alpha had been planned using flight planning and navigation apps and was expected to operate at 5,000 feet. Convective cloud was forecast along the route over the English Channel.
As the flight reached the middle of the Channel at around 9:15 a.m., one of the pilots, operating under Visual Flight Rules (VFR), radioed to say they were encountering cloud.
Neither of the pilots was qualified to fly in cloud, and neither held an Instrument Rating or IMC qualification. Shortly after its last transmission, Victor Alpha disappeared from radar.
Victor Alpha had been planned using flight planning and navigation apps and would have operated at 5,000 feet. The flight should have taken one hour and 38 minutes.
Evidence shows pre-flight plans were not shared between the flyer pilots, and each pilot on the trip made their own weather assessment.
Everything appeared normal as the Victor Alpha pilots posted videos of themselves passing Shoreham-by-Sea at 8:46 a.m.
Heavy cumulus clouds can be seen clearly ahead of the flight path across the English Channel.
Both pilots were wearing their shoulder harnesses underneath their life jackets, potentially risking entanglement in an accident.
Radar showed the aircraft at 5,000 feet, then descending to 3,000 feet before climbing to 7,000 feet, possibly to try to avoid the cloud cover.
It is unknown whether the pilots entered cloud without realising it.
Video evidence and reports from the other flyer pilots revealed that cloud and several waterspouts were clearly visible.
Other pilots on the trip flew around the cloud, and one diverted to Shoreham-by-Sea. However, on Victor Alpha, both pilots had flown through cloud before without issue.
Was it confidence that made them press on?
At 9:16 a.m., the last radar record showed Victor Alpha descending rapidly, 20 nautical miles west of Cap Gris-Nez.
It is hazardous to enter cloud when not qualified to do so or outside instrument flying practice, and the AAIB has investigated many accidents where control has been lost in cloud.
Let's stay safe. Fly within your limits, plan ahead, respect the weather, and be prepared to divert.