Ferry | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

While flying in turbulence, the aircraft went out of control and crashed in an open field located in Houghton, south of the RAF Wyton, Huntingdonshire. Three crew were killed while three others were seriously injured. Three weeks later, on 14APR1940, one of the survivors died from his severe injuries. The crew was performing a ferry flight to the Vickers Armstrong facility in Brooklands (Weybridge) Airport as the aircraft was subject to modifications.
Crew (115th Squadron):
F/O B. Statham,
F/O B. V. Fanshawe, †
AC1 D. H. Lynch, †
AC2 G. T. Rose, †
Sgt Sinclair,
AC1 Carter.

Crash of a Vickers 408 Wellington IA in Brooklands: 5 killed

Date & Time: Mar 8, 1940

Type of aircraft:

Vickers 408 Wellington IA

Operator:

Registration:

N3017

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Ferry

Survivors:

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Brooklands – Honington

Location:

Brooklands (Weybridge)

Surrey

Country:

United Kingdom

Region:

Europe

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The aircraft was returning to RAF Honington having undergone modification to the tank armor plating at Vickers Armstrong, Weybridge. It departed RAF Brooklands-Weybridge at 1435LT but while climbing, it went out of control and crashed in a field five minutes later, bursting into flames. All five crew members were killed.
Crew (9th Squadron):
F/O William John MacRae, pilot,
F/Lt Edward Reginald Berrill, copilot,
Sgt Cornelius Thomas Murphy, observer,
Cpl Roy Jackson, wireless operator and air gunner,
AC1 Leonard Leopold James Mackenzie, flight engineer.

Crash of Polikarpov SP in Dolgii Buerak: 2 killed

Date & Time: Dec 2, 1939 at 1130 LT

Type of aircraft:

Polikarpov Po-2

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-K200

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Ferry

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Ganyushkino – Vladimirovka – Saratov

MSN:

2533

YOM:

1931

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

733

Circumstances:

On December 1st, the airplane departed Saratov with the same crew to deliver mouse for a laboratory based in Ganyushkino, south Kazakhstan. The next day, the pilot departed Ganyushkino at 0830LT on the return trip to Saratov with an intermediate stop in Vladimirovka. Approaching Saratov, the pilot encountered poor visibility due to fog and passed over the airfield without any visual contact with the ground. He then returned to the north when he encountered snow falls. The airplane entered a right turn the lost height and crashed in a pasture located 1,5 km west of the village of Dolgii Buerak, about 7,5 km north-east of Saratov Airport. The airplane was destroyed and both occupants were killed.

Probable cause:

The accident was the consequence of the followings:
- The pilot decided to perform the flight despite he was informed prior to departure about the poor weather conditions at destination;
- The pilot continues the approach to Saratov Airport in below-minima weather conditions;
- Poor flight preparation;
- Lack of discipline on part of the pilot.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.42W in Tiverton

Date & Time: Nov 7, 1939

Type of aircraft:

Handley Page H.P.42

Operator:

Registration:

G-AAXD

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Paris - Exeter

MSN:

HP.42/6

YOM:

1930

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The aircraft was returning to Exeter after its crew dropped off Royal Air Force Command' staffs in Paris. While flying over Devon in marginal weather conditions, the crew was unable to locate the airport of Exeter nor to fix his position with certainty. Eventually, the captain decided to reduce his altitude and attempted an emergency landing on the Tiverton Golf course when on final, the aircraft impacted two trees and crashed. All three occupants were injured and the aircraft named 'Horatius' was destroyed.

Crash of a Vickers 290 Wellington I in Boughton: 7 killed

Date & Time: Nov 5, 1939 at 1535 LT

Type of aircraft:

Vickers 290 Wellington I

Operator:

Registration:

L4239

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Ferry

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Barton Bendish – Marham

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

On a ferry flight to Barton Bendish RLG, the crew decided to complete some training maneuvers. The pilot reduced his altitude and performed some sharp turns at low level when the aircraft hit a tree and crashed in a field located in Marks Farm, some 7 km southwest of RAF Marham. All seven crewmen were killed.
Crew (38th Squadron):
Sgt Edward Thomas Summers,
LAC David George,
AC1 John Clarence Bailey,
AC1 William Watson,
AC2 William Henry Dye,
AC2 Alan Hardman,
AC2 George Henry Charles Newman.

Probable cause:

Poor judgment on part of the pilot-in-command.

Crash of an Armstrong Whitworth AW.38 Whitley III at RAF Aston Down

Date & Time: Oct 16, 1939 at 1300 LT

Type of aircraft:

Armstrong Whitworth AW.38 Whitley

Operator:

Registration:

K8943

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Ferry

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

MSN:

1396

YOM:

1938

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

At 1300LT, near completion of a ferry flight to RAF Aston Down, the pilot was about to land when he realized that a RAF Blenheim was parked at the landing area. In order to avoid a collision, he held off until he was clear of this obstruction but was then forced to turn sharply away from the perimeter wall. In doing so, the undercarriage collapsed and the Whitley was damaged beyond repair. All three crewmen were unhurt.
Crew:
Sgt R. T. Langton +2.

Source: W. R. Chorley.

Crash of a Polikarpov AP near Shulakkurgan: 1 killed

Date & Time: Dec 26, 1938 at 1615 LT

Type of aircraft:

Polikarpov Po-2

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-A701

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Ferry

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Shulakkurgan - Shymkent

MSN:

7877

YOM:

1936

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

1708

Circumstances:

The aircraft departed Shymkent on a charter flight to Shulakkurgan with two passengers and one pilot on board. A passenger deplaned in Shayan and the second one in Shulakkurgan. In the afternoon, the pilot was flying back ferry to Shymkent. While cruising 45 km south of Shulakkurgan, weather conditions worsened. The airplane entered clouds and the pilot decided to return so he initiated a turn to the right when the airplane impacted the slope of a mountain and crashed. The aircraft was destroyed and the pilot was killed.

Probable cause:

The following factors were identified:
- Lack of discipline on part of the pilot by failing to obey the order given to him upon departure,
- Violation of the Flight Manual on part of the pilot,
- The release of an inexperienced pilot on a charter flight in bad weather,
- The weather bulletin was valid for three hours and thus was not accurate anymore at the time of the accident.

Crash of a Fokker Y1C-14 near Cajon Pass

Date & Time: May 7, 1937

Type of aircraft:

Fokker F14

Operator:

Registration:

31-385

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Edwards - March

MSN:

1417

YOM:

1931

Location:

Cajon Pass

California

Country:

United States of America

Region:

North America

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

En route from Edwards AFB to March AFB, the pilot encountered engine problems. He bailed out and abandoned the aircraft that entered a dive and crashed in a mountainous terrain near Cajon Pass, 30 km southwest of Victorville. The aircraft was destroyed and the pilot was uninjured.

Probable cause:

Engine failure in flight.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.54 Harrow I in Radlett

Date & Time: Mar 25, 1937

Type of aircraft:

Handley Page H.P.54 Harrow

Operator:

Registration:

K6940

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Ferry

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Feltwell - Radlett

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane departed RAF Feltwell on a ferry flight to Radlett where the crew was supposed to take delivery of other Handley Page H.P.54 Harrow. On final approach to Radlett Airport, the airplane was too low and collided with a train (the 1025 L.M.S. express from St. Pancras to Manchester which was travelling at 60 mph). It lost its undercarriage and crashed in a field in Napsbury. All six crew members were injured, two seriously.

Crash of a Tupolev ANT-9 near Verkhnii-Naur: 1 killed

Date & Time: Feb 10, 1937

Type of aircraft:

Tupolev ANT-9 (PS-9)

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-L167

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Tbilisi – Baku – Grozny – Moscow

MSN:

168

YOM:

1933

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

1404

Aircraft flight cycles:

1103

Circumstances:

The aircraft was on its way from Tbilisi to Moscow for maintenance purposes. The crew made a technical stop in Baku then continued to Grozny. On approach to Grozny, the crew encountered poor visibility due to foggy conditions. After 15-20 in such conditions, ice started to accumulate on the aircraft and several instruments such as the horizon, the gyrocompas and the speed indicator failed. The crew attempted an emergency landing when the aircraft crashed in an open field located about 30 km northwest of Grozny. The aircraft was destroyed and both occupants were seriously injured. The mechanic died from his injuries two days later.

Probable cause:

Controlled flight into terrain while cruising in fogy conditions. It was determined that the crew departed Baku Airport without any weather bulletin for Grozny.

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