F1 icon suffered horror plane crash where both pilots died - 'Born from being spoiled'

David Coulthard retired from F1 in 2008 after 246 Grand Prix starts and 13 race wins, but in 2000, the Scot was fortunate to escape alive after the Learjet 35 private plane he was traveling on crashed during an emergency landing.

Coulthard, who was driving alongside Mika Hakkinen at McLaren at the time, flew from Farnborough to Nice after recording his seventh career race victory at the British Grand Prix. He was joined on the chartered flight by personal trainer Andy Matthews and his partner at the time, Heidi Wichlinski.

During the flight, the Learjet 35 Coulthard was travelling on suffered an engine failure, and the pilot and co-pilot, David Saunders and Dan Worley, were required to complete an emergency landing at Lyon-Saint Exupery Airport. The aircraft crashed upon landing, killing both pilots while all three passengers escaped the wreckage.

Speaking to F1 Racing after the crash, Coulthard explained: “We had time to prepare ourselves. On impact, the plane wing tanks ruptured, and there was a fire on the right-hand side of the aircraft. When the plane came to rest, the front of the cockpit had broken free from the main fuselage.”

Despite the emotional turmoil and a broken rib suffered during the impact, Coulthard opted to race again that weekend at the Spanish Grand Prix. The McLaren driver finished second behind team-mate Hakkinen, taking a third successive podium finish.

Explaining his decision, Coulthard noted: “Had it been the other way around, I would have wanted them to fly again, if that’s what they wanted. It was not just their job, it was what they loved and what they lived for. Flying an aircraft is a bit like driving a racing car, it goes beyond a normal job – it is also a passion.”

In an interview with The Telegraph in 2024, Coulthard revealed that he regretted some of his actions in the lead-up to the flight and questioned his decision to charter the aircraft.

He said: “When I look back on the plane crash – that was born out of being spoiled, I think.” Coulthard then elaborated on that comment: “I’d wanted to go back to Monaco and although my normal aircraft had been booked for later, I decided I wanted to leave then.

“That’s not actually a normal way to be acting. One minute, you’re growing up in a village in Scotland, the next, you’re saying, ‘Get me on a plane now.’ So you get on the plane, you meet the pilots, and an hour later, they’re both dead.”