TWO men were killed when their microlight tumbled out of the sky in Kent last year because maintenance work was carried out incorrectly, a report has found.

The details of the incident at Connetts Farm, Eastchurch, near Sheerness, have only just been released by Air Accident Investigators.

The report says that additional rivets connecting the wing to the upright poles were not only fitted incorrectly, but two of them did not comply to the manufacturer’s specification.

The owner of the aircraft who was the pilot who died, had asked an inspector from The British Microlight Aircraft Association to assist him in the work which the report found was not to have the minimum engineering qualifications and experience required.

They found that one of the rivets had begun to weaken, then failed, leaving the upright pole resting on a single rivet. Turbulence, or any other movement caused the pole to pull away.

Other observations made were that the aircraft’s log book for recording maintenance work and inspections were not complete. The report found that had there been inspections at the required times they would have found the rivets had been installed incorrectly.

Witnesses to the incident on Saturday, August 21 said they saw the microlight pitch up steeply, so it was nearly vertical and enter a series of tumbling manoeuvres before plunging to the ground.

Recently qualified instructor Terry Stewart and passenger Daniel Attubato, 35. had taken off from Rochester Airport just after 1pm. Mr Stewart, 50, from Orpington, had bought the Pegausus Quick in February 2003.

Mr Attubato, from Maidstone, was on his first lesson. His wife had gone up in a separate aircraft while their family waited to welcome them back to the ground.