Demonstration

On the afternoon of Sunday, January 25th, 1931, an Avro 504K (serial G-AACW) crashed about 1/4 mile from Gatwick aerodrome, killing the pilot and both passengers. The airplane was a wartime machine originally manufactured under licence by G. Parnell & Coy Ltd, and had been completely rebuilt by Southern Aircraft Ltd in the spring of 1929. At the time of the last flight the airplane was not equipped with dual control, a false floor having been fitted over the control column socket and the rudder bar of the rear cockpit. The pilot, Mr. W. J. Martin, had started to learn to fly at Shoreham in February 1929, and made his first solo flight in June 1930, at which time he had received about 12 hours dual instruction. He qualified for his private licence five weeks later. Up to the day of the accident his total solo flying time was nearly 200 hours. Martin was not very experienced in aerobatics, although a few days before the accident a friend had demonstrated to him how to execute slow rolls. The first 10 minutes or so of the flight were occupied in carrying out a demonstration in which a number of machines took part and during which nothing in the nature of aerobatics was attempted. Instead of landing at the conclusion of this demonstration, the pilot climbed to a height between 1500 and 2000 feet, and then executed a maneuver which, to all expert witnesses, appeared to be an abortive attempt to roll and which developed into a spinning nosedive. Twice during its descent, G-AACW ceased to spin and momentarily assumed a straight gliding altitude, only to start spinning in the opposite direction. No one actually witnessed the crash, but the airplane had not recovered from the spin when it disappeared below the tree tops. The two passengers who died were named as Mr. S. J. W. Meathrel and Mr. L. H. Irving-Bell (Ground Engineer).
Source: www.sussexhistoryforum.co.uk

The single engine airplane was engaged in a local demo flight at Miami Municipal Airport, taking part to an airshow (All American Air Meet). While flying in the vicinity of the airfield, the engine failed. The pilot reduced his altitude in an attempt to make an emergency landing when the aircraft collided with high tension wires and crashed. Three occupants were killed and a fourth was injured.

The crew was taking part to an airshow at Böblingen Airfield. Two aircrafts, an Udet U12a Flamingo operated by the Deutsche Luftfahrt and registered D-867 and a Klemm L.27 registered D-1781 were engaged in a demo flight, connected to each other by a ladder. At an altitude of 300-400 metres, one of the pilot in the Udet, Fritz Schindler, successfully climbed from the Udet (below position) to the Klemm (upper position). But while descending via the ladder, the upper aircraft was caught by a gust of wind and lost height. Both aircraft collided, entered a dive and crashed. All four occupants were killed.
Crew:
Walter Spengler,
Fritz Schindler.

The pilot, sole on board, was taking part to an airshow at Prince Albert Airport. While flying at low height, he lost control of the airplane that crashed on the ground. The pilot was injured.

The pilot departed Thunder Bay on a local solo demo flight. While performing aerobatic manoeuvres, he lost control of the airplane that entered a dive and crashed into the Lake Superior. The pilot was killed.

Captain A. W. Saunders was performing demo flights on the racecourse of Te Awamutu. With his passenger Alfred W. Minchin, he climbed to a height of 1,000 feet when the plane was seen to enter a spin. The spin was recovered from about 50 feet and the Moth was still diving when it impacted the ground. Both occupants were seriously injured and evacuated to the local hospital. While the passenger died from his injuries in the evening, the pilot died the following day. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces.

The pilot Herbert J. 'Hub' Fahy and his wife Claire flew a new Sirius to a small grass strip in Roscommon, Michigan, where they were to demonstrate the plane to a potential buyer, Cliff Durant, son of William Durant, founder of General Motors. The Fahys acted as sales agents for Lockheed and the deal was Durant agreed to buy the plane if Fahy could prove that the Sirius could land and takeoff safely from Durant’s personal strip. Herb and Claire got the plane on the ground without incident, but as they took off, one of the wheels of the Sirius hit a partially hidden stump, which flipped the plane over. According to reports in the Herald Tribune for April 26 and 28, 1930, Fahy suffered a fractured skull and a severe concussion while Claire survived uninjured. Rescuers had to cut away part of the plane's structure to extricate the fliers. Fahy was rushed to a local hospital where he died early on Sunday morning, April 27, 1930 without regaining consciousness. He was 33 years old.

The crew departed the Latécoère hydrabase near Saint-Laurent-de-la-Salanque to complete a local demo flight to the French Navy on this first prototype. In flight, the seaplane broke up in the air and crashed in the Etang de Salses. The aircraft was destroyed and both crew members were killed.
Crew:
Mr. Prévot, pilot,
Mr. Hoff, mechanic.

The crew and both passengers were performing a flight over Guatemala city on board this Ryan B-1 Brougham owned by the Cuerpo de Aeronáutica Militar de Guatemala. While flying over the city at a too low altitude, the aircraft hit the roof of a house and crashed. All four occupants were killed.
Crew:
Col Jacinto Rodríguez Díaz, pilot,
Lt José Luis Balcárcel, copilot.
Passengers:
Engineer Julio Montano Novella, consul of Guatemala in New York, and his son Carlos Montano Novella.

The pilot was taking part to an airshow in Tampa. While performing aerobatic manoeuvres, he lost control of the aircraft that crashed, bursting into flames. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.