Date & Time:
Jan 9, 1943 at 1030 LT
Type of aircraft:
Short S.26 G-Class
Operator:
Registration:
G-AFCK
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Test
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Lisbon – Lisbon
MSN:
S.873
YOM:
1937
Country:
Portugal
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
5
Pax on board:
9
Pax fatalities:
8
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
13
Circumstances:
Last December 30, the engine n°4 failed. The airplane was grounded in Lisbon and the engine was changed. Prior to a flight back to London, the crew decided to made a local test flight. Twenty minutes after takeoff, the crew encountered problems with the engine n°3 that caught fire and decided to return. While descending to an altitude of 1,200 feet, the crew experienced strong vibrations and smoke spread in the cabin and the cockpit. The pilot was unable to feather the propeller on the engine n°3 and the seaplane named 'Golden Horn' went out of control and crashed into the bay, some 800 metres offshore. The radio operator and a passenger were rescued while 13 other occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
A technical failure occurred on the fourth piston of the sixth cylinder on the engine number three, causing hydraulic fluid and gasoline to spill and ignite in contact with high temperature elements. It was stated that the loss of control was due to the fact that pilots were incapacitated while part of the aircraft was on fire. Also, the number of victim was raised by the fact that the crew did not follow the emergency procedures and that passengers were neither attached nor correctly prepared for such emergency maneuver. Also, it was reported that all passengers were unauthorized on board.
