The self-styled “Biggles” pilot who landed in a tree on Caird Park Golf Course in Dundee wants to take to the skies once again, despite being investigated by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) over his conduct.
The move was confirmed following the publication of a report into a separate probe by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB), which found MrHagedorn had underestimated his fuel needs for the flight.
Mr Hagedorn was praised at the time for avoiding built-up areas, and boasted about his ability to “pancake” his plane into the branches of the tree a technique he recalled from reading a Biggles story as a boy.
However, he infringed controlled airspace on his journey and did not have a valid radio licence.
A spokesman for the CAA said, “We are investigating the pilot, but can’t say anything further while that investigation is taking place.”
Speaking from Philadelphia, Mr Hagedorn said he could not comment on the AAIB report because of unspecified “ongoing action.”
He added, “The key point I would make from the report was that the cause of the engine stopping was not running out of fuel, as was reported at the time.”
The 64-year-old said the flight planning had been carried out with two other people at Walney Island airfield, where the journey began.
The allegation he had entered controlled airspace was “debatable,” said Mr Hagedorn, and there was ongoing dialogue with the CAA over the radio licence issue.
He added, “I haven’t flown since the crash I have been incredibly busy over the last 12 months but I would love to fly again. In fact, I have already chosen my next aircraft.”Biggles memoryHe said at the time two things helped save his life his flying instructor’s training and his memory of a Biggles book in which the famous hero crashed into a tree.
Investigators later found he had estimated a maximum flying time of three hours 20 minutes more than one hour more than the plane manufacturer’s guidance.
The wind speed and other conditions meant the actual time for his planned flight between Barrow and RAF Kinloss would have taken two hours 21 minutes still exceeding the manufacturer’s guidance.
“The average fuel consumption assumed by the pilot was insufficient to account for operational realities,” stated the report.
The pilot reported his fuel had run out over Dundee, and “pancaked” the plane in a tree above the 15th hole at Caird Park.
Mr Hagedorn was helped out by emergency services and treated for head injuries at the city’s Ninewells Hospital.The aircraft was destroyed.
The AAIB report also stated Mr Hagedorn’s flightpath had infringed controlled airspace at Edinburgh, although this “did not directly affect the outcome.”
The investigators further found “there is no record of the pilot holding a valid flight radio telephony operator’s licence at the time of the flight.”
A study of the P&M Aviation craft found no fault with the fuel lines and no evidence of pre-impact engine component failure. However, tests on the fuel system showed the aircraft design is “not conducive to accurate gauging.”
Sustained changes from flying straight and level can lead to a “significant increase” in unusable fuel quantity, the report found.
The AAIB said the pilot was convinced from the indication of fuel tank contents he was not about to run out.
Investigators recommended the manufacturer revises its assessment of usable fuel in the CTSW aircraft.
P&M Aviation intends to publish a letter explaining the effects of aircraft attitude and turbulence on fuel feed at low fuel levels.