Clare Lomas, a paralysed campaigner and motivational speaker, died in a microlight crash while filming for an Apple TV series in Jordan. The 44-year-old, who was paralysed from the chest down after a horse-riding accident, had been taking part in a programme for Apple's VR headset in July 2024 when the specially adapted aircraft she was flying veered from a runway and struck a large rock.
Lomas suffered multiple severe traumatic injuries in the crash on July 15 and remained in hospital for more than five weeks before her death on August 22. She was a qualified pilot, MBE, and mother of two daughters.
Crash details and inquest
Senior coroner for Rutland and North Leicestershire, Louise Pinder, said the wind strength on the day of the crash was "light and from the left which is considered normal". She noted it would have been preferable for a smaller camera to have been fitted to the microlight, although its weight did not push the aircraft beyond its permitted take-off limit.
Lina Zilinskaite, a senior producer for Atlantic Productions, said Lomas had been chosen to take part in a series centred around athletes taking on different challenges. "Each episode follows a different athlete performing some sort of challenge or feat. (It was) always controlled risk. Individuals were doing this as a big hobby or profession in some instances. We are not plucking people off the street to do it," Zilinskaite said.
Zilinskaite said Lomas was "delighted" to be selected and was "very enthusiastic and keen and excited about the opportunity". The inquest heard Lomas had gained a licence to fly a microlight several years before her death. A planned flight the previous day had been cancelled because of strong winds, but conditions had improved by the time she took to the air.
Fatal flight and aftermath
Lomas had been flying for around 15 minutes before she attempted to land. Zilinskaite said: "She veered off the runway then I just heard this noise." The aircraft hit a large rock and Lomas was rushed to hospital in a standby ambulance in a critical condition. She remained there for weeks and was said to have been "excited" about returning home to her family before she developed an infection and her condition rapidly deteriorated, the inquest heard.
Lomas' inspiring life
Lomas had rebuilt her life after suffering devastating injuries when she was thrown from her horse during the Osberton Horse Trials in Nottinghamshire. The former chiropractor broke her neck, back and ribs and punctured a lung in the accident, which left her paralysed from the chest down. In 2012 she made history by completing the London Marathon over 17 days using a "bionic" suit, raising thousands of pounds for Spinal Research. She later became a prominent campaigner and motivational speaker, learned to fly and was made an MBE in 2017. The inquest continues.
