Reason for Padbury plane crash which killed convicted fraudster may never be known

Banker Muhammed Naviede, 60, who received death threats a week before the crash, was flying his Piper Tomahawk on August 20 last year.

When he lost control at 5,000 ft, Mr Naviede sent an SOS text message to his brother, asking him to look after his daughters, Raquelle and Jessica.

Two minutes later, the light aircraft plummeted into a field, close to Padbury.

Investigators found the plane was not faulty, there was no evidence of third-party involvement and the weather was fine.

Bucks coroner, Richard Hulett, ruled there was not enough evidence to say Mr Naviede crashed deliberately.

The jury recorded a narrative verdict.

Mr Naviede, who lived in London, was previously jailed for nine years for his involvement in a £45 million fraud.

His daughter, Raquelle Gracie, earned fame in 2007 when her band, Hope, reached the X-Factor finals.

Jim Morris, a specialist aviation lawyer at Irwin Mitchell and former RAF pilot, said because the plane was not required to be fitted with a recorder, it made the task of determining the causes ‘difficult, if not impossible’.

Mr Morris, who represented the family, said: “Unfortunately, we will never know exactly what happened in this tragic accident. But the inquest has given Mr Naviede’s family some element of closure and has reinforced their view that the accident was caused by Mr Naviede’s loss of control of the aircraft – possibly as a result of a loss of engine power.