Ferry | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

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.

Crash of an Avro 652 Anson at RAF Sealand

Date & Time: Feb 1, 1937

Type of aircraft:

Avro 652 Anson

Operator:

Registration:

K6267

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Ferry

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Location:

Sealand AFB (Shotwick AFB)

Flintshire

Country:

United Kingdom

Region:

Europe

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew was performing a ferry flight to RAF Sealand. The airplane overshot runway and hit a fence at the end of the terrain before crashing in a muddy field. Both crew members were injured and the aircraft was destroyed.

Crash of a De Havilland DH.50A in Capella

Date & Time: Jul 19, 1936

Type of aircraft:

De Havilland DH.50

Operator:

Rockhampton Aerial Services

Registration:

VH-UFW

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Rockhampton – Brisbane

MSN:

YOM:

1928

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

While cruising at an altitude of 4,000 feet, the engine failed. The pilot recovered from a spin and completed an emergency landing near Capella, Queensland. The pilot was uninjured and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Probable cause:

Engine failure in flight.

Ground accident of a Fokker F7b/3m in Haamstede

Date & Time: Jul 15, 1936 at 1500 LT

Type of aircraft:

Fokker F7

Operator:

Registration:

PH-AEZ

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Haamstede - Rotterdam

MSN:

5122

YOM:

1929

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

As the weather conditions were deteriorating, the board of the Dutch National Company KLM decided to move the aircraft that was parked in Haamstede to a safe place in Rotterdam, and asked three technicians to do so. While taxiing, the aircraft was caught by strong winds, went out of control and came to rest upside down. All three occupants were uninjured and the aircraft named 'Zwaluw' was damaged beyond repair.

Probable cause:

Caught by strong winds while taxiing.

Crash of a Junkers W.33c near Er Roseires

Date & Time: May 3, 1936

Type of aircraft:

Junkers W.33

Operator:

Ethiopian Government

Registration:

Dessye

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Addis Ababa - Er Roseires

MSN:

2539

YOM:

1929

Location:

Er Roseires

Blue Nile (النيل الأزرق)

Country:

Sudan

Region:

Africa

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Because of intense fighting in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian government ordered the German pilot Ludwig Weber to evacuate the Junkers W.33c to a safe airport outside the country, in Sudan. On approach to Er Roseires, the engine failed due to a fuel exhaustion. The pilot attempted an emergency landing when the airplane named 'Dessye' crash landed in a desert area located south of Er Roseires. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair and the pilot was uninjured. The aircraft was later sold by the Royal Air Force to a local scrap dealer.

Probable cause:

Engine failure caused by a fuel exhaustion.

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