Paralysed campaigner died in a microlight crash while filming Apple TV series

Paralysed campaigner died in a microlight crash while filming Apple TV series Clare Lomas, who was paralysed from the chest down after a horse-riding accident, had been filming a new Apple TV series in Jordan when she crashed a microlight and died five weeks later. A paralysed campaigner died in a microlight crash while filming for an Apple TV series. Claire Lomas, 44, had been paralysed from the chest down since a horse-riding accident but went on to become a motivational speaker, qualified pilot and MBE. She was in Jordan in July 2024 taking part in a programme for Apple’s VR headset when the specially adapted aircraft she was flying veered from a runway and struck a large rock. Claire 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. Lina Zilinskaite, a senior producer for Atlantic Productions, said Claire had been chosen to take part in a series centred around athletes taking on different challenges. She said: “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.” Lina said Claire was “delighted” to be selected and was “very enthusiastic and keen and excited about the opportunity”. The inquest heard Claire had gained a licence to fly a microlight - a small, lightweight aircraft - several years before her death. The production company reportedly knew the paraplegic mum needed assistance getting in and out of the specially adapted aircraft. A planned flight the previous day had been cancelled because of strong winds, but conditions had improved by the time Claire took to the air. Senior coroner for Rutland and North Leicestershire, Louise Pinder, said the wind strength was “light and from the left which is considered normal” on the day of the crash. She said 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. Claire had been flying for around 15 minutes before she attempted to land. Lina said: “She veered off the runway then I just heard this noise". The aircraft hit a large rock and Claire 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. Claire 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. But 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.