AN inquest has found a plane crash during an aerobatic display which left a Selby area pilot dead was caused “primarily by an error of judgment”.

Chris Penistone, 31, a member of Sherburn Aero Club and a pilot for the commercial airline Jet2, was taking part in The Methley Bridge Boatyard Festival when the crash happened during an aerobatic manoeuvre in June last year.

In a narrative verdict, the jury at Leeds Coroner’s Court said other “cumulative personal and professional pressures” also contributed to the accident.

The jury of five men and six women returned their verdict after an inquest lasting more than a week in which they saw video footage of the crash.

This showed Mr Penistone’s light aircraft plunge into the ground after performing a number of spins.

The jury foreman said Mr Penistone was under pressure in the build-up to the crash from a number of sources.

He said these included a building project he was undertaking and a heavy work schedule in the days before the accident. The inquest heard how Mr Penistone “led his life at 150mph” but that he took “every precaution possible” when he flew.