1933 Imperial Airways Ruysselede crash

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1933 Imperial Airways Ruysselede crash
Accident
Date30 December 1933
Summary Controlled flight into terrain due to pilot error
Site Ruysselede, West Flanders, Belgium
51°4′41.98″N3°20′5.44″E / 51.0783278°N 3.3348444°E / 51.0783278; 3.3348444
Aircraft
Aircraft type Avro Ten
Aircraft name Apollo
Operator Imperial Airways
Registration G-ABLU
Flight origin Cologne Butzweilerhof Airport, Germany
Stopover Haren Airport, Brussels, Belgium
Destination Croydon Airport, United Kingdom
Passengers8
Crew2
Fatalities10
Survivors0

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.

Contents

Aircraft

The accident aircraft was Avro Ten registration G-ABLU, c/n 528. The aircraft had entered service with Imperial Airways in May 1931 and having served for a time with Iraq Petroleum Transport Co., it had returned to Imperial Airways. The aircraft was named Apollo. [1]

Accident

Operating a flight from Cologne, Germany to Croydon Airport, United Kingdom via Haren Airport, Brussels, Belgium, the aircraft departed at 12:20 local time (11:20 GMT), which was 20 minutes later than scheduled. As a result of fog, the aircraft was flying on a route to the north of its normal route. At 13:15, [2] whilst flying at an altitude of 250 feet (76 m), [3] it crashed into a guy wire of the 870 feet (270 m) tall radio mast at Ruysselede, [2] [4] which was illuminated at the time. The top section of the mast was demolished. The aircraft lost a wing and crashed. Four workers at the radio station rushed to the aid of those on board the aircraft, as did twelve villagers from Ruysselede. At least one passenger was seen to have survived the crash. There was an explosion and the wreckage of the aircraft was burnt out. The rescuers all suffered burns. [2]

Casualties

All ten passengers and crew on the aircraft were killed. Four rescuers suffered burns. [2]

NationalityCrewPassengersTotal
United Kingdom257
Netherlands22
Poland11
Total2810

Investigation

The accident was investigated by Belgian authorities. The British Accidents Investigation Branch sent a representative to assist in the investigation. [5]

Awards

The relatives of one of the victims praised the bravery of one of the rescuers, and pressed for him to be rewarded for his courage. [6] King Albert I awarded Camille van Hove the Civic Cross (1st Class) for his efforts in attempting to rescue the victims of the crash. Mr van Hove received serious burns and was still in hospital in Bruges at the time the award was notified. [4] [7] Nine other rescuers were given rewards of money. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Imperial Airways</span> British long-range airline (1924–1939)

Imperial Airways was an early British commercial long-range airline, operating from 1924 to 1939 and principally serving the British Empire routes to South Africa, India, Australia and the Far East, including Malaya and Hong Kong. Passengers were typically businessmen or colonial administrators, and most flights carried about 20 passengers or fewer. Accidents were frequent: in the first six years, 32 people died in seven incidents. Imperial Airways never achieved the levels of technological innovation of its competitors and was merged into the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) in 1939. BOAC in turn merged with the British European Airways (BEA) in 1974 to form British Airways.

This is a list of aviation-related events from 1934:

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British South American Airways (BSAA) was a state-run airline of the United Kingdom in the mid-to-late 1940s responsible for services to the Caribbean and South America. Originally named British Latin American Air Lines, it was renamed before services started in 1946. BSAA operated mostly Avro aircraft: Yorks, Lancastrians and Tudors and flew to Bermuda, the West Indies, Mexico and the western coast of South America. After two high-profile aircraft disappearances it was merged into the British Overseas Airways Corporation at the end of 1949.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avro 618 Ten</span> Type of aircraft

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Railway Air Services</span> Defunct British airline

Railway Air Services (RAS) was a British airline formed in March 1934 by the Big Four railway companies and Imperial Airways. The airline was a domestic airline operating routes within the United Kingdom linking up with Imperial's services.

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

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turkish Airlines Flight 634</span> 2003 aviation accident

Turkish Airlines Flight 634 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Turkish Airlines' hub at Istanbul Atatürk Airport to Diyarbakır Airport in southeastern Turkey. On 8 January 2003 at 20:19 EET, the aircraft operating the flight, a British Aerospace Avro RJ100, struck the ground on final approach approximately 900 metres (3,000 ft) short of the runway threshold during inclement weather conditions. In the following collision with a slope, a post-crash fire broke out, killing 75 of the 80 occupants, including the entire crew.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1933 Imperial Airways Diksmuide crash</span> Aircraft crash near Diksmuide, Belgium

On 28 March 1933, an Armstrong Whitworth Argosy II passenger aircraft, named City of Liverpool and operated by British airline Imperial Airways, crashed near Diksmuide, Belgium, after suffering an onboard fire; all fifteen people aboard were killed, making it the deadliest accident in the history of British civil aviation to that time. It has been suggested that this was the first airliner ever lost to sabotage, and in the immediate aftermath, suspicion centred on one passenger, Albert Voss, who seemingly jumped from the aircraft before it crashed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1950 Heathrow BEA Vickers Viking crash</span>

The 1950 Heathrow BEA Vickers Viking crash occurred on 31 October 1950 when a Vickers Viking operated by British European Airways (BEA) crashed at London Airport in heavy fog. The aircraft was on a scheduled flight between Paris and London's Northolt airport and 28 of the 30 passengers and crew on board were killed.

<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">1929 Imperial Airways Handley Page W.10 crash</span> 1929 ditching into the English Channel

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1962 Channel Airways Dakota accident</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">1947 BOAC Douglas C-47 crash</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">1953 Skyways Avro York disappearance</span> Aircraft disappearance

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

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<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">Charles Wolley-Dod</span> British pilot, aviation executive (1892–1937)

Captain Charles Francis Wolley-Dod was a British pilot and aviation executive. He was one of Imperial Airways' early pilots and later became their European manager. Imperial was an early British commercial long-range airline, operating from 1924 to 1939, and Wolley-Dod developed several of their commercial routes between London, South Africa, the Middle East, and India.

References

  1. "Civil Aircraft Register – Great Britain". Golden Years of Aviation. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Air Crash in Belgium". The Times. No. 46640. London. 1 January 1934. col D, p. 12.
  3. "Imperial Airways machine crashes in fog". Flight (4 January 1934): 17.
  4. 1 2 "The Air Liner Crash". The Times. No. 46644. London. 5 January 1934. col B, p. 11.
  5. "Wrecked Air Liner". The Times. No. 46441. London. 2 January 1934. col E, p. 9.
  6. "Air Crash in Belgium". The Times. No. 46642. London. 3 January 1934. col G, p. 9.
  7. "Civil Cross for Ruysselede crash rescuer". Flight (11 January 1934): 41.
  8. "The Apollo Disaster". The Times. No. 46657. London. 20 January 1934. col B, p. 10.