My thanks go to the local council for this memorial. Ian Fergusson, BBC BristolThe following through-provoking thoughts on the accident cause were emailed from my brother, Doug Fergusson (a pilot with American Airlines, based in the USA, with type experience spanning many years since RAF service on BAe-146, L1011's, 747-400, 777, 757/767,737, 727 and MD-80....I'd be interested in any return views from ex-BAC workers or former AAIB investigators on this:"(seeing) this prompted me to do some more research of my own into what caused this accident, and I read the AIB report. ", Barry AldridgeIn Nov 1957 I was a BAC Apprentice at college full time after spending six happy months in the Flight Test Dept. 01934 835127, I was in an Ambulance en route for Cossham for a check up on my ankle break. Michael SimpsonI was employed at BAC when the crash occurred as Chief Flight Engineer and flew over the site immediately after the accident. I flew with Hugh Statham several times, and was with him on G-ANCA on 15 Sep just a few weeks prior to the crash on my last Britannia flight. I was a child attending Oldbury Court Primary School when the crashed happened. We shall never know. Barry Aldridge. The position of an unretracted flap assuming there had been a flap problem would have been useful in attempting to discover a cause. Unfortunately, I have since lost these notes. My older brother, Philip (Pip) Hewett was Flight Engineer on that flight. One of my best friends and colleagues was Bill Todd, the radio operator. I witnessed in 1968 the crash at Heathrow of Ambassador G-AMAD. As he does not have internet access and is not particularly mobile I wonder if there is a way I could download these videos please? At the height CA was the ability to fully recover from either malfunction would have robbed the operating pilot of one vital element and that was available altitude. It's a great shame, because it would be very interesting to source the original field notes, etc etc., including those compiled by BAC, and subject them to a new independent analysis based on today's state of knowledge - e.g., by the air accident investigation school at Cranfield. Even a high-speed crash tends to leave unambiguous evidence of flap position (e.g., witness marks left on flap actuators etc). Considerable problems were experienced during manufacture involving thousands of Feel gauge checks on the roller to track clearances before the flaps could be made to operate without undue friction.This problem was solved by assemble with a dummy oversize track,but was this aircraft assembled with this new oversise dummy track?? My attention whilst at British Eagle base on the day was drawn to the sound of sudden power application by an aircraft on short finals. The cause of the crash was reported as failure of the port flap system followed by un-commanded retraction of the port flap with a resultant roll to the left.It seems from the observed attitude of CA that perhaps there is some similarity regarding the cause.The suggestion of an umcommanded turn caused by the auto pilot could have been possible if the auto pilot was engaged since there was some history of auto pilot malfunction caused by a solder particle short circuiting wiring within that system. Points West has marked the 50th anniversary with three reports, available to watch again here.We've also released our original film archive of the crash site, taken on the 6 and 7 November 1957 and never broadcast since the time of the disaster. So sad. I AM NOW 81 AND SEVERAL OF THEM WERE MY VERY GOOD FRIENDS FOR WE WERE ALL ON THE PROJECT TEAM AT REDIFON FLIGHT SIMULATION LTD AT CRAWLEY IN SUSSEX.I WAS FORTUNATELY IN CANADA INSTALLING A SABRE F86 SIMULATOR FOR THE RACF AT CAMP BORDEN.THE FIRM IN CRAWLEY IS NOW THALES. Ian Fergusson, BBC BristolMany thanks to all who have contributed so many interesting and thought-provoking comments thus-far.In specific response to Frank's interesting posting below, regarding potential causal factors behind the accident:The official accident report categorically states that G-ANCA's flaps were retracted at the time of impact. Whatever the cause, just like with the 737 accidents, having an upset at circuit altitude leaves a crew very little escape room. Plane Crash in Hinckley during 1937 Bristol Blenheim bomber crashed along Barwell Lane in Hinckley during 1937. One actually saw GANCA making it's last fatal turn. We shall never know. ", In Nov 1957 I was a BAC Apprentice at college full time after spending six happy months in the Flight Test Dept. My brother and sister were all at the school. Doug Fergusson comments about the ability to override uncommanded auto pilot signals.It would seem that a failure of the flap system may have been the most probable cause of the accident however an uncommanded full deflection of an aileron whether or not it could be overridden would have placed CA in the banked attitude it was seen to be in. Ron Daws. The memory is still so vivid. Another man, who at the time was tiling the roof of a nearby house, broke his arm after falling having been shocked by the aircraft's low flight path. Three days after Kulwicki’s death, Bristol race winner Rusty Wallace honored Kulwicki. Bob NunnI was a pupil at Oldbury Court Junior School and we seven and eight year olds saw the crash, the explosion, the tall trees shooting up in flame. If at any time a 3 degree angular difference in flap position took place then motor drive power was removed and the flaps remained at that position. It's a great shame, because it would be very interesting to source the original field notes, etc etc., including those compiled by BAC, and subject them to a new independent analysis based on today's state of knowledge - e.g., by the air accident investigation school at Cranfield. Reg EversonI know two men who were turned away from this flight at the very last minute, literally as the boarding ladder was being retrieved. "The plane came down in a swirl and splattered gas and flames everywhere," said Mike Tester, 11, son of James Tester on whose farm the crash occurred. Find out about historic people, places and events, BBC Bristol website, Regional Newsroom, Whiteladies Road, Bristol, BS8 2LR The Blenheim L8610 aircraft took off from Upwood on a training exercise on 22 September 1940, a Sunday. Kulwicki was 38 years old. With considerable resolve and against considerable economic pressure, workers at Bristol Aero Company pressed-on and the Britannia story continued, proving itself as a successful, safe and much-admired airliner. I am certain we thought a wheel of the aircraft had brushed the roof of the school as the impact was a second or two in flight time from the school. I am glad the crew's heroism is remembered. I am glad the crew's heroism is remembered. It was time to pack in test flights. The two sites we would be looking at were; the Bristol Blenheim and Blackburn Botha. A memorial service was held at Bristol Cathedral on 19 November 1957. The cause of the crash was reported as failure of the port flap system followed by un-commanded retraction of the port flap with a resultant roll to the left.It seems from the observed attitude of CA that perhaps there is some similarity regarding the cause.The suggestion of an umcommanded turn caused by the auto pilot could have been possible if the auto pilot was engaged since there was some history of auto pilot malfunction caused by a solder particle short circuiting wiring within that system. Dale Earnhardt Jr. will take the weekend off from broadcasting to be with his wife and daughter after the three were in a plane crash landing Thursday near Bristol … If you want to know how many Easyjet planes have crashed or if there has been a Easyjet plane crash at all, you'll find out below. BRIAN HAYNESNOT ALL THE PEOPLE ON BOARD WERE AIRCREW. We heard talk that the pilot had managed to avoid the school averting the possibility of hundreds of children inside being killed or injured. The memory is still so vivid. A plane has crash at the Elizabethton Municipal Airport in Tennessee. I was sitting by the glass doors of Oldbury Court Infants School, the teacher was showing us some dolls clothes. Were it not for the pilot's bravery and skill we would probably have been killed that day. I showed him my notes from 1957 in which I had expressed my great respect for his father. Planes is in the bushes and its front and sides are damaged. Main switchboard: (0117) 973 2211 | BBC Radio Bristol: (0117) 974 1111 I flew with Hugh Statham several times, and was with him on G-ANCA on 15 Sep just a few weeks prior to the crash on my last Britannia flight. At the time I was standby crew. The rudder would have provided some counter-roll as a secondary effect. All fifteen on board, four crew and 11 technicians, died in the crash. Fifty years ago to-day,as a seven year old, I was living with my mother and father and two sisters, at 49 Overndale Road,Downend which at that tme was the end house nearest the woods where the Britannia crashed.I can remember being collected from school at lunchtime by my mother,and returning home to see the utter devastation,but to a seven year old it seemed more like an adventure.I have just watch the archive footage, and saw pictures of my mother,holding my sister, being interviewed.She did appear live on the evening news, being interviewed beside one of the undercarriage.This has brought back many memories of that day. Commemorative events were held on 25th and 34th anniversaries, when the first memorial plaque listing the names of the dead was erected at Downend Folk House. We were at the traffic lights in Downend when the plane came down. At 1,500 ft, while turning left to make her landing approach, the Britannia - painted in the colours of US carrier Capital Airlines, and carrying a crew of 15 - suddenly banked steeply to the right and began an uncommanded turn and rapid descent above Downend and Staple Hill. CARTER COUNTY, Tenn. — A private plane carrying Dale Earnhardt Jr. , his wife Amy and their 15-month old daughter Isla crashed at the Elizabethton Municipal Airport in Tennessee. I know two men who were turned away from this flight at the very last minute, literally as the boarding ladder was being retrieved. That crash at Tri-City Regional Airport in Blountville, Tennessee, killed a total of four people. In 1961 I was commissioned as a pilot in the RAF and in 1967 found myself flying alongside Richard Statham, Hugh's son, as a Jet Provost flying instructor at RAF Syerston near Newark. We heard talk that the pilot had managed to avoid the school averting the possibility of hundreds of children inside being killed or injured. I don't believe the autopilot bit for a minute - no autopilot has ever been invented that cannot be overridden by manual input, nor in those times did the autopilots have 3-axis command, ie: rudder as well - we call it "in series" now, and it's only in that mode for autoland and auto-go-around. He took the place of a colleague who was unwell. That angular difference was controllable by normal flight control input and would not cause an uncontrollable situation. At all other times, autopilots let the rudder lie fallow (there is limited yaw-damper input to the rudder in flight). The events of 6 Nov 1957 left their mark on me, and I will never forget them.If a DVD of the commemorative films is available please let me know at [email protected]. At the height CA was the ability to fully recover from either malfunction would have robbed the operating pilot of one vital element and that was available altitude. I showed him my notes from 1957 in which I had expressed my great respect for his father. In 1961 I was commissioned as a pilot in the RAF and in 1967 found myself flying alongside Richard Statham, Hugh's son, as a Jet Provost flying instructor at RAF Syerston near Newark. The crash, on 30 April 1941, was kept secret for national security reasons. So sad. G-ANCA was one of the new 300-Series of the plane… For further details Tel. The Downend air crash occurred on 6 November 1957 when a prototype Bristol Britannia aircraft crashed in woods near Overndale Road in Downend, a suburb of Bristol, England, on its landing approach at Filton airport during a test flight. Relatives of those who risked their lives to save the crew of the Wellington bomber were at the service in St Andrews Park. This would caus such a violent bank at low altitude just as the Pilot was selecting flaps down for the aprroach. It affected me for years as every time a plane went over, which was quite often due to the nearness of Filton Airport, I would run into the house. He took the place of a colleague who was unwell. The Bristol F.2 Fighter was a British two-seat biplane fighter and reconnaissance aircraft of the First World War developed by Frank Barnwell at the Bristol Aeroplane Company.It is often simply called the Bristol Fighter, other popular names include the "Brisfit" or "Biff".. [3] Downend Local History Society holds its meetings in the building, which have one of its rooms named Britannia Room. Highway Patrolman Frank Richardson said the plane's pilot had notified the Tri-City Airport control tower at nearby Barton that one of its engines was icing up. The pilot took two friends up and got lost in the clouds. A Bristol Blenheim Mk I crashed: 3rd December 1937 A Bristol Blenheim Mk I (K7110) of 114 Squadron took off heading north from RAF Wyton in Cambridgeshire. One woman, a resident of Overndale Road, was taken to hospital after being hurt by the impact blast when one of the engines and part of the wing landed next to her house while she was hanging washing on the line in the garden. "On 3 November, 2007 Beryl Statham - whose husband Hugh was piloting G-ANCA that fateful day - unveiled a new memorial plaque.". It was a traumatic experience and we were in no mood to return to college. If at any time a 3 degree angular difference in flap position took place then motor drive power was removed and the flaps remained at that position. [4], A memorial plaque at the crash site, now called Britannia Wood, was unveiled on 3 November 2007 by Beryl Statham, the pilot's widow. Frank OgdenAs an ex R.A.F.Flight Engineer I would suggest that this accident may have been caused by one half of the flap torque tubes drive mechanism becoming overloaded and shearing. Despite the aircraft coming down in a residential area, nobody on the ground was killed. At the time I was standby crew. Cannot believe that it is now 50years on. I was a pupil at Oldbury Court Junior School and we seven and eight year olds saw the crash, the explosion, the tall trees shooting up in flame. Perhaps Hugh Statham selected the flaps up in the early stages of the uncommanded descent, in an effort to enhance recovery. Fifty years ago - at just before midday on Wednesday, 6 November 1957 - a patch of woodland alongside Overndale Road, Downend, was torn apart in a terrible air disaster. The events of 6 Nov 1957 left their mark on me, and I will never forget them.If a DVD of the commemorative films is available please let me know at [email protected]. Seeing your report brought that moment back vividly. All fifteen on board, four crew and 11 technicians, died in the crash.[1]. Then there's applying assymetric thrust as a last measure...very effective in propeller aircraft due to increased slipstream over the low wing.The parallels to the 737 accidents in the 90's in Colorado Springs and Pittsburgh are very thought provoking, both suspected to be caused by rudder malfunction.Or, did the crew get distracted and stall the aircraft? Clearly however, an asymmetric flap condition - if it had occurred at such low speed and at circuit height - would have manifested a grave emergency for G-ANCA's crew.....There's no obvious reason for the discrepancy in expected flap position versus what was described by the AIB. There seems to have been some similarity between the two incidents. According to The News & Record, it was ice and poor pilot judgment that caused the plane to crash. Barry Aldridge. [1] The plane was piloted by Sergeant H. Wilson. Another source cites the cause as "...an instrument failure which ultimately led to a loss of control."[2]. We were diverted to the crash site and the first Ambulance on the scene. Richard and I both applied to ETPS to be test pilots; he was successful but I was posted instead as an Exchange Officer with the RAAF CFS flying the Aer Macchi 326. I requested copies of all pertinent accident report documents relating to the investigation from the AAIB.... but today, they responded to say they only have a copy of the published report. As he does not have internet access and is not particularly mobile I wonder if there is a way I could download these videos please? Various shots of the police looking at the plane damage, walking around, etc. He was just 27 years old. Low cloud covered the mountains during the afternoon when various local people reported hearing the low rumble of plane engines and then a crash. Miraculously, all three occupants were uninjured and walked out of the crash site. I remember the crash very well. It was a traumatic experience and we were in no mood to return to college. I was allowed on the flight deck during a rigorous 32- stall programme in which the aircraft rolled almost inverted several times before Hugh's mighty forearms returned it safely and impressively to level flight. My attention whilst at British Eagle base on the day was drawn to the sound of sudden power application by an aircraft on short finals. wendy carmanI remember the crash very well. That crash at Tri-City Regional Airport in Blountville, Tennessee, killed a total of four people. All 15 aboard died in the crash. The airplane operated on a flight from Boston-Logan International Airport, MA (BOS) to … PLANE DOWN-SANTA ANA- OCFA and Costa Mesa Fire units are onscene of an aircraft down in the 3900 block of Bristol Street in the City of Santa Ana. Earnhardt Jr. is not the first NASCAR legend to be involved in a plane crash en route to Bristol Motor Speedway. That angular difference was controllable by normal flight control input and would not cause an uncontrollable situation. Kulwicki was killed when his plane wrecked in April 1993, also en route to Bristol Motor Speedway. Despite valiant efforts by her crew to rescue the emergency, the aircraft impacted a field before exploding in woodland now officially named Britannia Woods. last updated: 03/04/2008 at 08:52created: 06/11/2007. I alsorecall that the pilot, Hugh Statham was one of the most gentlemanly and admirable men I ever flew with in myflying career of 38 years, which why I came from Canada to attend this ceremony. I was sitting by the glass doors of Oldbury Court Infants School, the teacher was showing us some dolls clothes. Bristol, Avon. I witnessed in 1968 the crash at Heathrow of Ambassador G-AMAD. As an ex R.A.F.Flight Engineer I would suggest that this accident may have been caused by one half of the flap torque tubes drive mechanism becoming overloaded and shearing. That evening I described my feelings and sense of loss at great length. But in so many respects, the AIB report has glaring gaps; areas of cursory description and so-on.... a lack of detail that would make the report unpublishable by today's AAIB standards. My wife, then aged 17 and my girl-friend at the time, worked in the PR Department at the BAC.She was asked if she would like to go up in the Britannia and was very keen to do so.Later that day, in the evening, when she told me she was going up in the 'plane tommorrow I said that I didn't want her to go.She didn't; the rest is history.Strangely enough, one of the crew who was killed was a customer of the company for which I was working and I had met him on several occasions. We heard the plane overhead, sounding very low just before the crash and there were rumours that it had touched the school roof. These crashes are the 5 hardest crashes NASCAR has had at Bristol Motor Speedway IN MY OPINION. [ 25/01/2021 ] Unmanned fighter to be built in Northern Ireland Military [ 24/01/2021 ] Ryanair’s ‘Jab & Go’ campaign is outlawed by ASA News [ 23/01/2021 ] Heathrow under fire after super-spreader crowds in Terminal 2 News [ 23/01/2021 ] Boeing commits to ‘ready to … The plane crashed into the forest coming to a stop just hundreds of feet from the Long Trail. We were at the traffic lights in Downend when the plane came down. A great pity that no flight recorder or flight test data system survived the crash. My memory of the flap system is that a 112V DC motor rotated torque tubes that through gearing rotated screw jacks that either extended or retracted the flaps. The eyewitness accounts read like a classic stall-roll-off followed by aggressive recovery and secondary stall. I was employed at BAC when the crash occurred as Chief Flight Engineer and flew over the site immediately after the accident. I consider it a privelege to have been invited to attend the Commemoration event.With 8 years experience on the Britannia I was drawn to wonder what may have caused or contributed to the incident involving CA.I have read the submission from Doug Fergusson.

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