An investigation into a plane crash in which an 87-year-old pilot was killed has said that his age could have been a factor in the tragedy.
Peter Walker died in the accident, which happened while he was trying to land at Beccles Aerodrome.
His aircraft - a single-person CT2K - bounced twice as it touched down. The second time, it reached around 100ft into the air before crashing into a rapeseed field next to the runway.
Mr Walker was still alive by the time emergency services arrived but died at the scene.
He was medically fit to fly and a post-mortem examination found no signs of impairment in the moments before the crash, on March 24 last year.
However, an inquiry by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch heard from a family member who said Mr Walker was getting to the stage where he was "slowing down".
The relative added that he was "coming to the conclusion that he would have to stop flying in the near future".
The investigation report concluded: "It is possible that some age-related deterioration in human performance was a factor in this accident."
Investigators said that Mr Walker's aviation skills were "highly regarded" and that he had a total of 2,677 flying hours under his belt since getting a pilot's licence in 1989.
However, their report raises various concerns about how to monitor pilots as they get older, to ensure they remain fit to fly.
They highlight a lack of medical guidance for pilots and medical professionals who use the Pilot Medical Declaration (PMD), where pilots can self-declare their fitness without input from a GP.
They make a series of recommendations about how pilots and doctors should be made more aware of the medical standards needed to assess licence holders, as they get older.
And they also urge the UK Civil Aviation Authority to liaise with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, to see if it can learn from it about how to assess and monitor ageing pilots.
FATAL FLIGHT
Peter Walker, from Burton Waters, near Lincoln, had taken off from Temple Bruer airstrip, in Lincolnshire, at 12.46pm to fly to Beccles.
Three minutes after take-off, he radioed air traffic controllers to say he was returning to the airfield with a "slight problem", but a minute later he said it had been solved and that he was continuing towards Beccles.
The investigation could not establish the nature of the "problem", but a relative of the victim suggested it could be linked to a navigation aid.
Mr Walker had flown to the Suffolk airstrip on two earlier occasions.
Eyewitnesses said his approach to the landing - just over an hour after leaving Temple Bruer - was "unstable", although the aircraft then settled into a more steady flight.
However, when he touched down, the aircraft twice bounced heavily, before crashing into the field.
The report says the aircraft "probably" stalled in these fatal moments.
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None of the witnesses interviewed by investigators could recall hearing sounds of the aircraft accelerating - to avoid a stall - after either landing attempt.
Pilots who had flown the aircraft informed the AAIB that the CT2K could be “tricky to land” and that pilots needed to be “on their game” if things did not go as planned.
One pilot with knowledge about the type of aircraft said: “It is a difficult aircraft to land, especially if it bounces. You have to apply power to catch it. You have to be on your game.”
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