At 06:09 hrs on 21 October 2021, the 05:23 hrs Great Western Railway passenger service from London Paddington to Swansea struck an engineering trolley left on the line near Challow in Oxfordshire. The train was travelling at 123 mph (198 km/h) at the time of the collision.

The train came to a stand around 1.5 miles beyond the point of collision. There were no injuries among the passengers on board and the train did not derail. However, the handle of the trolley became wedged under the leading bogie of the train while the trolley itself caused some damage to the train’s underframe. The collision resulted in minor damage to the track, while the trolley appears to have been destroyed by the impact.

The train involved in the collision was the first train to pass through the area after the track was handed back following engineering work which had taken place during the previous night. RAIB’s preliminary examination found that the trolley had been inadvertently left on the railway line following this work, which had taken place within a possession.

Our investigation will seek to identify the sequence of events that led to the collision. It will also consider:

• the processes in place for managing vehicles such as trolleys within possessions

• the training, competence and management oversight of the staff involved and any factors that may have influenced their actions

• any relevant underlying factors.

Our investigation will also consider a similar incident which took place at 05:55 hrs on 8 September 2021, when a passenger train travelling between Staines and London Waterloo struck an engineering trolley on the approach to Twickenham station. This trolley had also been left on the line following overnight engineering work. RAIB no longer intends to publish a separate safety digest concerning this incident.

Our investigation is independent of any investigation by the railway industry or by the industry’s regulator, the Office of Rail and Road.

We will publish our findings, including any recommendations to improve safety, at the conclusion of our investigation. This report will be available on our website.

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Julia was appointed as chair on 18 November 2021 following a robust competition, conducted in accordance with the governance code on public appointments.

Julia initially worked in communications and business consulting, which included running her own business for 7 years.

She stood as the Conservative Party candidate for the post of Police and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire and was elected in November 2012. In this role she was responsible for putting in place services for victims of crime and setting up a new team to support victims in the county. She also successfully attracted government funding to establish a new women’s centre in York.

In 2018, Julia became one of the first Police, Fire and Crime Commissioners in the country, subsequently sitting on the national Fire Standards Board.

Julia was a director of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners for 6 years. During that time she chaired the Police Reform and Transformation Board, set up by the Home Secretary to lead the transformation of policing across England and Wales. She held 3 national portfolios; for Victims, Rural Affairs and Integrity and Transparency, working closely with the Independent Police Complaints Commission and the Independent Office for Police Conduct on reform of the police complaints system.

Julia has been:

• a member of the advisory panel to the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner since January 2019
• the chair of the Independent Domestic Abuse Service since January 2020
• a non-executive director on the board of the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority since May 2020
• the chair of the police advisory board for England and Wales since April 2021

The GLAA Chair is responsible for leading the board in carrying out its responsibilities to deliver ministerial expectations and the strategic objectives of the GLAA. As such, the GLAA chair is generally responsible to the Home Secretary for the governance and performance of the GLAA.

The aircraft, a Cessna FRA150L, Aerobat (G-CIIR) landed at Troutbeck Airfield with its pilot and a passenger without the required permission. As the conditions on the day meant the aircraft’s takeoff performance from Troutbeck would be marginal, the airfield owner instructed the pilot to depart solo in order to improve the aircraft’s performance by reducing its takeoff weight. On the subsequent takeoff the aircraft was seen to depart controlled flight seconds after getting airborne and strike the ground. The pilot was fatally injured.

The investigation identified a number of shortcomings with the preparation for the flight that contributed to the accident.

In addition, opportunities were missed to prevent the accident because the pilot did not heed the advice not to operate into grass, performance-limiting airfields, did not obtain PPR and was probably not on the correct radio frequency on arrival. It is likely that the pilot did not fasten his shoulder harness, against the strong advice of his instructor, and this action may have meant the accident became unsurvivable.

Flying for any pilot is a continual learning process whether they are newly qualified or very experienced. However, newly qualified pilots should be very careful to make sure they fly within the limits of their experience. This accident highlights the fact that thorough preparation is essential for every flight, and accidents can happen if short cuts are taken or good advice is not heeded.

Read the report.

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