Charity Campaigner Claire Lomas Dies After Microlight Crash While Filming Apple Series
Claire Lomas, who made history as the first individual to finish a marathon using a bionic suit, passed away on 22 August 2024, following a microlight accident in Jordan on 15 July 2024. An inquest found that she was filming a series commissioned by Apple when her aircraft collided with a rock. Initially hospitalized at King Hussein Medical Centre, her health deteriorated. Coroner Louise Pinder determined that multiple severe traumatic injuries led to her death. Senior producer Lina Zilinskaite mentioned Lomas's enthusiasm for the project, while microlight designer Ben Ashman raised concerns about her pre-flight stress. Lomas, who became paralyzed due to a 2007 incident, raised £925,000 for the Nicholls Spinal Injury Foundation and was honored with an MBE in 2017. The inquest is ongoing.
Key facts
- Claire Lomas died on 22 August 2024 after a microlight crash in Jordan on 15 July 2024.
- She was filming for an Apple-commissioned series called Adventure, produced by Atlantic Productions.
- The inquest heard her provisional cause of death was multiple severe traumatic injuries.
- Lomas was the first person in the UK to complete a marathon wearing a ReWalk bionic suit, finishing the 2012 London Marathon in 17 days.
- She raised £925,000 for the Nicholls Spinal Injury Foundation before her death; her husband and friend raised the total past £1 million.
- Ben Ashman of Flylight Airsports had adapted Lomas's microlight to remove foot controls.
- No weather or mechanical issues were found with the crash.
- Her family did not attend the inquest due to the proximity to the anniversary of her death.
Entities
Artists
- Claire Lomas
- Louise Pinder
- Lina Zilinskaite
- Ben Ashman
- Dan Spincer
- Stuart Hall
- Ben Bradley KC
Institutions
- Apple
- Atlantic Productions
- Flylight Airsports
- King Hussein Medical Centre
- Nicholls Spinal Injury Foundation
Locations
- Jordan
- Petra
- Amman
- London
- United Kingdom
- Eye Kettleby
- Melton Mowbray
- Leicestershire
- Nottinghamshire
- East Yorkshire