Date & Time:
Jul 11, 1969 at 1642 LT
Type of aircraft:
De Havilland DH.114 Heron
Operator:
Registration:
TN-ABA
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Ferry
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Charleroi – London-Gatwick
MSN:
14034
YOM:
1953
Country:
Belgium
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
0
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
0
Captain / Total hours on type:
0
Aircraft flight hours:
16723
Circumstances:
The airplane arrived in Charleroi on January 24 and was parked there since. In June, a ferry permit was issued and on July 11, it was decided to ferry the airplane from Charleroi to London-Gatwick Airport. The pilot departed Charleroi-Gosselies Airport at 1551LT. At 1634LT, while at cruising altitude, the engine n°4 suffered vibrations and the pilot decided to shut it down. Three minutes later, the engine n°3 emitted smoke then caught fire. The pilot was able to shut it down but for unknown reason could not feather its propeller. He reduced his altitude and attempted to make an emergency landing when the airplane struck trees and crash landed in a potatoes field. The pilot was unhurt while the aircraft was considered as damaged beyond repair. The pilot's total flying hours was 8,530 with zero experience on this type of aircraft.
Probable cause:
Failure of two engines in flight due to the non-observation of the procedure published by the manufacturer regarding the engine start-up following a long standstill period.
