1929 Imperial Airways Handley Page W.10 crash

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1929 Imperial Airways Handley Page W.10 crash
HP W.8b.jpg
A Handley Page W.8, similar to the accident aircraft
Accident
Date17 June 1929
SummaryEngine failure, ditching at sea
Site English Channel, off Dungeness
50°45′00″N1°07′0″E / 50.75000°N 1.11667°E / 50.75000; 1.11667
Aircraft
Aircraft type Handley Page W.10
Aircraft nameCity of Ottawa
Operator Imperial Airways
Registration G-EBMT
Flight origin Croydon Airport, United Kingdom
1st stopover Paris - Le Bourget Airport, Paris, France
2nd stopover Basle Airport, Switzerland
Destination Zurich Airport, Switzerland
Passengers11
Crew2
Fatalities7
Injuries6
Survivors6

The 1929 Imperial Airways Handley Page W.10 crash happened on 17 June 1929 when Handley Page W.10 G-EBMT suffered an engine failure and subsequently ditched in the English Channel off Dungeness with the loss of seven lives. The aircraft was operating an international scheduled flight from Croydon to Le Bourget Airport, Paris, France.

Contents

Aircraft

The accident aircraft was Handley Page W.10 G-EBMT City of Ottawa, c/n W10-4. It had been delivered to Imperial Airways on 25 December 1925. [1]

Accident

G-EBMT was operating an international scheduled flight from Croydon Airport to Zurich Airport, Switzerland [2] via Paris - Le Bourget Airport and Basel Airport, Switzerland. [3] Having departed from Croydon at 10:30, [4] the aircraft was some 15 miles (24 km) out over the English Channel, [5] flying at an altitude of 2,500 feet (760 m), [4] when a connecting rod in the starboard engine broke. A mayday was broadcast by radio and the pilot attempted to divert to Lympne Airport. As he was unable to reach land, the pilot landed in the sea some 50 yd (46 m) from the Belgian trawler Gaby, and 12 miles (19 km) offshore. [5]

The nose of the aircraft dived into the water on landing. The passengers at the front of the aircraft were thrown from their seats and trapped. Four passengers seated at the tail of the aircraft escaped, as did both crew. Gaby went to the aid of the stricken airliner and rescued the six survivors. The body of one of the victims was also recovered. They were transferred to the Dover pilot cutter which took them to Folkestone. The cutter entered Folkestone harbour at 2:45 pm flying the signal EDY, signifying that ambulances were required, and with her red ensign at half-mast. The injured survivors were taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital, Folkestone. The body of the casualty was landed at Folkestone, [3] but was later transferred to Lydd. [5] Gaby recovered three further bodies that day. [3] They were transferred to a motorboat owned by the Lydd postmaster and taken to a mortuary at Lydd. [4] Gaby assisted in the salvage of the wreckage of G-EBMT. [6] The wreckage was towed to Dungeness, where a search revealed only baggage and personal belongings of the passengers. Three victims were unaccounted for at that stage. [5]

An inquest was opened by the Lydd Coroner on 19 June at Lydd Town Hall into the deaths of the four victims whose bodies had been recovered. Evidence was given that the pilot, Captain Brailli [7] was experienced, with 1,000 hours flying time. He had been in the employ of Imperial Airways for a year. The aircraft was shown to have been airworthy on departure from Croydon. [4] The pilot had been the last survivor to leave the aircraft, at his insistence. [3] All four victims had drowned. Verdicts of "accidental death" were returned in all cases. [4]

Investigation

The Air Ministry opened an investigation into the accident under the Air Navigation (Investigation of Accidents) Regulations, 1922. [5] The investigation opened on 25 June at the Royal Courts of Justice, London, with Sir Arthur Colefax in charge. The cause of the engine failure was the fracture of No. 4 connecting rod in the starboard engine. The engine had run for 126 hours since its last overhaul, with the permitted time between overhauls being 300 hours. The connecting rod had failed due to the failure of the big end bearing studs. [8]

The aircraft's Certificate of Airworthiness had last been renewed in November 1928 and was valid for a year. Its maximum permissible load was 2,946 pounds (1,336 kg); the aircraft's load was 2,494 pounds (1,131 kg) on departure from Croydon. Evidence was given by three of the four surviving passengers and both crew. The fourth surviving passenger was not called as she was legally a minor at the time and had lost her father in the accident. [8] The inquiry closed on 3 July. [9] Imperial Airways and Napier, the engine manufacturer, were cleared of any blame for the accident. [10] The report into the investigation was published on 12 July. Among the recommendations were that passengers should be provided with seatbelts and that aircraft not capable of maintaining level flight with an inoperative engine and not designed to land on water should be withdrawn from continental routes after 1 July 1930. [11]

Casualties

The nationalities of the casualties were - [3] [5]

NationalityCrewPassengersKilledInjured
English2635
American–211
Australian–11–
Canadian–11–
French–11–
Total21176

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Handley Page Type W</span> Early British airliner

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de Havilland DH.34 Type of aircraft

The de Havilland DH.34 was a single engined British biplane airliner built by the de Havilland Aircraft Company in the 1920s. 12 were built, with the DH.34 serving with Imperial Airways and its predecessors for several years.

Daimler Airway was an airline subsidiary of the Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA)'s Daimler Company. It was created to use some of the assets of the failed ventures Airco and its subsidiary, Aircraft Transport and Travel, which was acquired by BSA in February 1920.

Air Union was a French airline established January 1, 1923, as the result of a merger between the airlines Compagnie des Messageries Aériennes and Compagnie des Grands Express Aériens. Air Union was merged with four other French airlines to become Air France on 7 October 1933.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">August 1926 Air Union Blériot 155 crash</span>

The August 1926 Air Union Blériot 155 crash happened on 18 August 1926 at Hurst, Kent when Blériot 155 F-AIEB of Air Union hit a barn and crashed whilst attempting to make a forced landing in bad weather. Two passengers were killed in the accident, and the pilot died a day later.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1934 Hillman's Airways de Havilland Dragon Rapide crash</span> 1934 plane crash in the English Channel

The 1934 Hillman's Airways de Havilland Dragon Rapide crash occurred on 2 October 1934 when a de Havilland DH.89A Dragon Rapide of Hillman's Airways crashed into the English Channel off Folkestone, Kent, killing all seven people on board. The aircraft was operating an international scheduled passenger flight from Abridge Aerodrome to Le Bourget Airport, Paris. The accident resulted in the first write-off of a Dragon Rapide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1954 Swissair Convair CV-240 crash</span> 1954 aviation accident

The 1954 Swissair Convair CV-240 crash occurred on 19 June 1954 when a Swissair Convair CV-240 ditched in the English Channel off Folkestone, Kent, having run out of fuel. Although all on board survived the ditching of the aircraft, three people drowned, as they could not swim and there were no lifejackets carried on board the aircraft. At the time of the accident, these were not required to be carried on flights where the time over water was less than 30 minutes flying time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meopham air disaster</span> 1930 crash caused by tailplane failure

The Meopham Air Disaster occurred on 21 July 1930 when a Junkers F.13ge flying from Le Touquet to Croydon with two crew and four passengers crashed near Meopham, Kent with the loss of all on board. The report of the inquiry into the accident was made public, the first time in the United Kingdom that an accident report was published.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1933 Imperial Airways Ruysselede crash</span> Aircraft crash

The 1933 Imperial Airways Ruysselede crash occurred on 30 December 1933 when an Imperial Airways Avro Ten collided with one of the radio masts of Belradio at Ruysselede, West Flanders, Belgium and crashed killing all ten people on board. The aircraft was operating an international scheduled passenger flight from Cologne, Germany to London, England via Brussels, Belgium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1929 Luft Hansa Junkers G 24 crash</span> 1929 plane crash near Godstone, Surrey, England

The 1929 Luft Hansa Junkers G.24 crash occurred on 6 November 1929 when a Junkers G 24 of Luft Hansa crashed at Godstone, Surrey, United Kingdom while on an international scheduled flight from Croydon, Surrey, United Kingdom to Amsterdam-Schiphol Municipal Airport, Amsterdam, Netherlands. Of the eight people on board, Glen Kidston was the only survivor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1928 Imperial Airways Vickers Vulcan crash</span> 1928 test flight crash

The 1928 Imperial Airways Vickers Vulcan crash occurred on 13 July 1928 when a Vickers Vulcan on a test flight from Croydon Airport with a pilot and five passengers crashed near Purley, Surrey three miles from the airport, with the loss of four passengers. As a result of the crash Imperial Airways stopped the flying of staff on test flights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1923 Daimler Airway de Havilland DH.34 crash</span>

The 1923 Daimler Airway de Havilland DH.34 crash occurred on 14 September 1923 when a de Havilland DH.34 of Daimler Airway operating a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Croydon to Manchester crashed at Ivinghoe, Buckinghamshire, England, killing all five people on board.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1924 Imperial Airways de Havilland DH.34 crash</span> 1924 aviation accident

The 1924 Imperial Airways de Havilland DH.34 crash occurred on 24 December 1924 when de Havilland DH.34 G-EBBX of Imperial Airways crashed at Purley, Surrey, United Kingdom killing all eight people on board. The aircraft was operating a scheduled international flight from Croydon, Surrey, to Paris, France. It was the first fatal accident suffered by Imperial Airways and led to the first public inquiry into a civil aviation accident in the United Kingdom. As a result of issues brought up during the inquiry, Croydon Airport was expanded, absorbing most of Beddington Aerodrome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1958 Channel Airways de Havilland DH.104 Dove crash</span> 1958 aviation accident

The 1958 Channel Airways de Havilland DH.104 Dove crash occurred on 15 January 1958, when a de Havilland DH.104 Dove of Channel Airways crashed on approach to Ferryfield Airport, Lydd, Kent due to mismanagement of the aircraft's fuel system by the pilot. All seven people on board survived, but the aircraft was written off.

References

  1. ↑ "Civil Aircraft Register – Great Britain". Golden Years of Aviation. Archived from the original on 22 September 2010. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
  2. ↑ "Cross Channel Disaster". Flight (20 June 1929): 504.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Channel Air Disaster". The Times. No. 45232. London. 18 June 1929. col A, B, p. 16.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Channel Air Disaster". The Times. No. 45234. London. 20 June 1929. col A, B, p. 13.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Channel Air Disaster". The Times. No. 45233. London. 19 June 1929. col E, p. p16.
  6. ↑ Denham, Terry. World Directory of Airliner Crashes. Yeoford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 10. ISBN   1-85260-554-5.
  7. ↑ Associated Press, "Seven Die in Plane Crash in Britain", Winnipeg Evening Tribune, June 17, 1929, col. A, p. 1
  8. 1 2 "Channel Air Disaster". The Times. No. 45239. London. 26 June 1929. col A, B, C, p. 10.
  9. ↑ "The Channel Air Disaster". The Times. No. 45246. London. 4 July 1929. col B, p. 11.
  10. ↑ "Loss of "City of Ottawa"". Flight (1 August 1929): 840.
  11. ↑ "The Channel Disaster – Air Ministry Report". Flight (1 August 1929): 835–36, 839. (p835, p836, p839)
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