Date & Time:
Oct 21, 1947
Type of aircraft:
Short S.25 Sunderland
Operator:
Registration:
DV976
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Training
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Country:
United Kingdom
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
1
Pax on board:
3
Pax fatalities:
3
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
During a training sortie, the engine number three failed. The captain decided to reduce his altitude in an attempt to ditch the aircraft when the same engine caught fire. Shortly later, the engine detached and the seaplane hit the water surface at high speed, overturned and came to rest off Southend. Six crew members were injured while the captain and all three passengers were killed.
Probable cause:
The exact cause of the engine failure was not determined with certainty. However, the absence of an experienced copilot was considered as a contributory factor as the workload caused by an emergency situation was too heavy for the sole captain.
