The national air and train crash investigation bureau (GPIAAF) said the Briton was not authorised to fly that plane, which reportedly took off from an illegal airstrip, nor was the aircraft licensed to fly in Portugal.

The 70 year old was killed instantly when his plane crashed in October last year.

The victim, Graham Dixon, was resident in the Armação de Pêra area. He is said to have taken up the hobby in recent years and had towed the fixed-wing aircraft down to Portugal from the UK.
The microlight came down just short of a runway at a local airfield where a small unofficial flying club operates.
Reports claim the aircraft was spiralling out of control before it hit the ground.
According to the GPIAAF’s provisional information on initial findings, the crash was caused after the British pilot lost control of the microlight as he was climbing left following take-off.
It said that the aircraft had previously performed two ‘touch-and-gos’ (take-offs and landings) with two British pilots on board as part of “proficiency training”.
The report states “the pilot made a final landing to disembark the other pilot.”
It explains Graham Dixon then returned to the runway to take off on a solo flight, but as he was climbing out, “lost the directional control of the aircraft and entered into a stall that caused the violent crash of the aircraft on the ground.”
The report further highlights the runway at the airfield as being “an unprepared runway (runway without specific surfacing).”