There are a few of these around – example G-BNDE. There was another I recall from near the Isle of Wight where he actually said it on the radio before crashing.
G-CFIO AAIB report
The report format doesn’t seem to allow for a crash being deliberate
Interestingly, the AAIB have taken pains to lay the blame on the pilot for not declaring his diagnosis to the AME, who would most likely have revoked the medical certificate
Capitaine wrote:
he report format doesn’t seem to allow for a crash being deliberate
That’s a very strange report. While stating in several places that the pilot had a terminal illness and had announced his intention to commit suicide, as well as referring to the coroner’s verdict, the report all but concluded that the pilot lost control during an attempted emergency landing in a field!
Airborne_Again wrote:
While stating in several places that the pilot had a terminal illness and had announced his intention to commit suicide, as well as referring to the coroner’s verdict, the report all but concluded that the pilot lost control during an attempted emergency landing in a field!
Allegedly, many suicide attempts are abandoned at the very last moment, but it’s already too late.
Airborne_Again wrote:
While stating in several places that the pilot had a terminal illness and had announced his intention to commit suicide, as well as referring to the coroner’s verdict, the report all but concluded that the pilot lost control during an attempted emergency landing in a field!
It does not conclude that the pilot lost control. It only states that they did not find any operational or technical reason for that descending turn. Saying that the descent was deliberate would be speculation and as such doesn’t belong into the report.
They do however find the time to mention that he told people he was going to kill himself…
Then he does kill himself.
I’d say the descent was deliberate beyond any reasonable doubt.
Otherwise, the reports of what he said are after all just hearsay, legally speaking, not statements made under oath (not that “under oath” means anything anyway 
)
In GA, no CVR, no FDR, we usually have nothing to go on, so reasonable speculation is ok.
It’s like airport bar hearsay that somebody nearly killed himself loads of times, before the final crash. It is relevant, although needs to be regarded with more care because of all the usual factors.
Clipperstorch wrote:
It does not conclude that the pilot lost control.
Yes. That’s why I wrote “all but”. It very strongly hints at a loss of control during an attempted emergency landing.
Airborne_Again wrote:
It very strongly hints at a loss of control during an attempted emergency landing.
I don’t get that impression from reading the report, only that the terrain was suitable for an emergency landing.
As for the flying low and then suddenly descending: It gives less time to reconsider the decision for the suicide and also makes it unrecoverable compared to a long dive from way high up. For a witness with no aviation ties it must look similar to a stall spin accident.
