Charity campaigner Claire Lomas died at age 44 from severe traumatic injuries following a microlight crash in Amman, Jordan, on July 15, 2024. An inquest in Glenfield, Leicestershire, revealed she was piloting the aircraft to film content for a series featuring the Vision Pro headset.
The Fatal Flight in Jordan and the Apple Vision Pro Production
The tragic accident occurred on July 15, 2024, after Claire Lomas took off from a runway in Jordan for a scheduled segment filming for a series tied to Apple’s VR headset. Lina Zilinskaite, a senior producer for Atlantic Productions, testified at the inquest in Glenfield, Leicestershire, that Apple had commissioned the production company to create a series following different athletes undertaking challenging feats as part of a controlled-risk project.
Lomas, who was paralyzed from the chest down following a 2007 horse-riding accident at the Osberton Horse Trials in Nottinghamshire, flew the specialized aircraft for roughly 15 minutes before the fatal descent. According to the testimony, the flight had been postponed the previous day due to strong winds, but weather conditions on the day of the crash featured light winds from the left that were considered normal.
Eyewitness accounts presented to Louise Pinder, senior coroner for Rutland and North Leicestershire, established that the microlight’s final approach was not quite straight on.
“She veered off the runway then I just heard this noise.”
Lina Zilinskaite, senior producer for Atlantic Productions
The aircraft struck a large rock upon landing. Lomas was immediately transferred by a standby ambulance to the King Hussein Medical Centre in Amman, where she suffered multiple severe traumatic injuries.
Engineering Adaptation and Production Precaution
The inquest detailed the specific technical preparations made to accommodate Lomas’s paraplegia. Ben Ashman, a microlight designer and manufacturer at Flylight Airsports, explained that Lomas had purchased her own adapted aircraft between 2022 and 2023, modifying it so that the controls did not require the use of her feet. Ashman confirmed that the production team also mounted an 180-degree camera onto the microlight, adding approximately 15 kilograms to the aircraft, though a coroner’s report confirmed the additional equipment did not exceed the take-off weight limit.
Production leads maintained that safety protocols were observed prior to filming in the Middle East. Zilinskaite noted that test flights involving the Vision Pro camera setup had been conducted in the UK without Lomas, and that Lomas had independently piloted the aircraft in Jordan before the fatal accident without the camera mounted. Testifying to her frame of mind, Zilinskaite added that Lomas was very enthusiastic and keen and excited about the opportunity
and insisted she was absolutely sure she wanted to fly
despite any initial nerves.
A Legacy of Resilience and Charity Work
Before her involvement with the Apple production, Lomas earned prominence through feats of physical endurance following her 2007 accident, which ended her career as a chiropractor. In 2012, she became the first person to complete the London Marathon wearing a bionic ReWalk suit, an arduous journey that spanned 17 days and raised substantial funds for Spinal Research. Her fundraising efforts ultimately brought in hundreds of thousands of pounds for charitable causes, including a 2016 appearance in the Great North Run and a 400-mile hand-bike journey.
Her determination led to her appointment as a Member of the British Empire (MBE) in 2017. Reflecting on her personality during the legal proceedings, Zilinskaite told the court, One thing about Claire I learned, she was incredibly stubborn. When she set her mind to do something, she would absolutely do it. She was incredibly strong-willed.
Hospital Deterioration and Ongoing Inquest Inquiries
Although Lomas survived the initial crash and spent weeks hospitalized in Amman—where she was reportedly looking forward to returning home to her family and two children—her condition took a sharp turn for the worse after she acquired a secondary infection. She passed away at the medical facility on August 22, 2024, more than five weeks after the accident.
During the hearing at County Hall in Glenfield, legal representatives for the family noted that relatives had raised significant concerns regarding the quality of medical care Lomas received at the Jordanian hospital. However, coroner Louise Pinder clarified that investigating foreign hospital treatment standards falls outside her legal jurisdiction. The family’s legal counsel, Ben Bradley KC, noted that relatives chose not to attend the hearing personally because the date coincided too closely with the painful anniversary of her passing. The inquest remains ongoing.
