Crash of a Short S.45 Solent 3 in Brook: 43 killed
Date & Time:
Nov 15, 1957 at 2255 LT
Operator:
Registration:
G-AKNU
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Southampton – Lisbon – Funchal
MSN:
S.1299
YOM:
1947
Crew on board:
8
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
50
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
43
Circumstances:
At approximately 2246LT the aircraft took-off from Southampton Water on a scheduled flight to Lisbon, en route for Madeira, with 50 passengers and a crew of 8. It made a normal climb and three minutes later passed a routine departure message to Southern Air Traffic Control Centre, London. At 2254LT however, the radio officer called the Aquila base at Southampton and transmitted this message: "No. 4 engine feathered. Coming back in a hurry." Approximately one minute later the aircraft crashed into the face of a quarry between Chessell and Brook on the Isle of Wight. The wreckage caught fire and, despite the efforts of people who quickly came to the scene, none of the crew and only fifteen of the passengers survived.
Probable cause:
The accident was caused by the stoppage of the No. 3 engine at a time when the No. 4 engine was stopped. The cause of the stoppage of the No. 4 engine is unknown. The cause of the stoppage of the No. 3 engine was either an electrical failure in the fuel cut-off actuator circuit or the accidental operation of the cut-off switch.
Final Report:
