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Crash of a Handley Page H.P.42E into the Gulf of Oman: 8 killed

Date & Time: Mar 1, 1940 at 1320 LT
Type of aircraft:
Handley Page H.P.42
Operator:
Registration:
G-AAGX
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Calcutta – Jask – Sharjah – Alexandria – London
MSN:
HP.42/1
YOM:
1929
Flight number:
CW197
Location:
Gulf of Oman
All World
Country:
World
Region:
World
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
4
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
8
Circumstances:
While overflying the Gulf of Oman, the aircraft named 'Hannibal' crashed into the sea in unknown circumstances. SAR operations failed to find any trace of the aircraft nor the crew and were suspended after few days.
Crew:
N. Townsend, pilot,
C. J. Walsh, copilot,
A. H. H. Tidbury, radio operator,
C. A. F. Steventon, steward.
Passengers:
A. T. Pannirselvam,
Harold A. Whistler,
Alf Bryn,
Henry Hutchison.
Probable cause:
The UK Air Ministry considered as improbable that the crash had resulted from sabotage, hostile action or inflight fire. Also considered improbable was complete fuel exhaustion, although the starvation of the supply of gasoline attributed to improper activation of the corresponding controls could not be ruled out. Other possible causes were a bird strike damaging a propeller and leading to the failure of the engine mounting or even an entire wing; some type of structural failure, especially considering the age of aircraft and the history of vibration experienced with the type, or multiple power plant malfunction, which also could have preceded structural failure. Two months after the disappearance, and in following one of the recommendations made in the investigative report, it was announced by the British government that the HP.42 would no longer be used in passenger operations. It was also recommended that commercial aircraft used in long over-water flights be equipped with personal and group life-saving gear, which would later be standard throughout the industry.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.42W in Tiverton

Date & Time: Nov 7, 1939
Type of aircraft:
Handley Page H.P.42
Operator:
Registration:
G-AAXD
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Ferry
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Paris - Exeter
MSN:
HP.42/6
YOM:
1930
Location:
Tiverton
Devonshire
Country:
United Kingdom
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The aircraft was returning to Exeter after its crew dropped off Royal Air Force Command' staffs in Paris. While flying over Devon in marginal weather conditions, the crew was unable to locate the airport of Exeter nor to fix his position with certainty. Eventually, the captain decided to reduce his altitude and attempted an emergency landing on the Tiverton Golf course when on final, the aircraft impacted two trees and crashed. All three occupants were injured and the aircraft named 'Horatius' was destroyed.

Crash of a Short S.23 Empire Flying Boat in Calcutta

Date & Time: Jun 12, 1939
Type of aircraft:
Short S.23 Empire Flying Boat
Operator:
Registration:
G-ADVE
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Auckland – Singapore – Calcutta – London
MSN:
S.822
YOM:
1936
Location:
Calcutta
West Bengal
Country:
India
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
4
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The seaplane was approaching Hoogly River in Calcutta in strong winds. Upon landing, it went out of control and sank. All eight occupants were rescued and the aircraft was lost.
Probable cause:
Loss of control upon landing due to strong winds.

Crash of a Short S.23 Empire Flying Boat off Lumbo: 2 killed

Date & Time: May 1, 1939
Type of aircraft:
Short S.23 Empire Flying Boat
Operator:
Registration:
G-ADVD
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
London – Cairo – Mombasa – Dar es-Salaam – Lumbo – Maputo – Johannesburg
MSN:
S.821
YOM:
1935
Location:
Lumbo
Nampula
Country:
Mozambique
Region:
Africa
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
2
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Circumstances:
The crew was forced to abandon a first landing attempt off Lumbo for unknown reason. During the second attempt, the seaplane named 'Challenger' impacted the water surface and came to rest off the Ilha de Mocambique Island. Two crew members, the radio officer Tom Webb and the flight clerc George Knight were killed while all four other occupants were injured. The cockpit separated from the fuselage upon impact.

Crash of a Short S.23 Empire Flying Boat off Batavia

Date & Time: Mar 12, 1939
Type of aircraft:
Short S.23 Empire Flying Boat
Operator:
Registration:
G-ADUY
Flight Phase:
Taxiing
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
MSN:
S.816
YOM:
1935
Location:
Jakarta
City District of Jakarta
Country:
Indonesia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
3
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The seaplane aircraft named 'Capella' was engaged in an international schedule flight on behalf of Qantas. While taxiing in the harbor of Batavia (Jakarta), the aircraft collided with an unknown floating object. The captain abandoned the departure procedure and returned to the harbor when the airplane partially sank. All eight occupants evacuated safely and the float plane was damaged beyond repair.
Probable cause:
Collision with an unknown floating object while taxiing for takeoff.

Crash of a Short S.23 Empire Flying Boat into the Atlantic Ocean: 3 killed

Date & Time: Jan 21, 1939 at 1309 LT
Type of aircraft:
Short S.23 Empire Flying Boat
Operator:
Registration:
G-ADUU
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Port Washington – Hamilton – Southampton
MSN:
S.812
YOM:
1936
Location:
Atlantic Ocean
All World
Country:
World
Region:
World
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
8
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
The seaplane named 'Cavalier' departed Port Washington Seaplane Base in Long Island at 1038LT on a transatlantic flight to Southampton with an intermediate stop in Hamilton, Bermuda. About two hours later, the crew encountered poor weather conditions and decided to modify his route to avoid a cumulonimbus area. Doing so, the aircraft lost height and while cruising in poor weather with low temperature, the pilot decided to return to his initial route when both inner engines stopped while both outboard engines lost power. In such situation, the captain decided to ditch the aircraft some 285 miles southeast of Port Washington. The radio operator was able to report his position and the aircraft sank about 15 minutes after ditching. The tanker named 'Esso Baytown' arrived on scene aroung midnight and his crew was able to evacuated 10 injured people while three others were killed, among them one crew member.
Crew:
M. R. Alderson, pilot,
Neil Richardson, copilot.
Probable cause:
The fact of the descent was entirely due to complete loss of power in the case of the two inner engines and partial loss of power in the outboard engines owing to carburetor icing trouble. The sea conditions were such that a safe landing was impossible and, as a result of damage to the hull, the machine sank in about fifteen minutes after breaking in half.

Crash of a Short S.23 Empire Flying Boat near Habbaniya Lake: 4 killed

Date & Time: Nov 27, 1938
Type of aircraft:
Short S.23 Empire Flying Boat
Operator:
Registration:
G-AETW
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Positioning
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Southampton – Sydney
MSN:
S.839
YOM:
1937
Location:
Habbaniyah AFB
Al-Anbar (الأنبار)
Country:
Iraq
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
En route from Southampton to Sydney and while flying over Iraq at night, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with a sandstorm. Apparently in an attempt to maintain a visual contact with the ground, the crew reduced his altitude when the float plane named 'Calpurnia' hit the ground at full power and crashed. All four crew members were killed.

Crash of an Armstrong Whitworth AW.15 Atalanta in Kisumu: 4 killed

Date & Time: Jul 27, 1938
Type of aircraft:
Armstrong Whitworth AW.15 Atalanta
Operator:
Registration:
G-ABTG
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
London – Kisumu – Cape Town
MSN:
AW.785
YOM:
1932
Location:
Kisumu
Nyanza
Country:
Kenya
Region:
Africa
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
Shortly after takeoff from Kisumu Airport, the four engine aircraft lost height and impacted the ground nose first before coming to rest. All four crew members were killed.

Crash of a Short S.23 Empire Flying Boat off Brindisi: 2 killed

Date & Time: Dec 5, 1937
Type of aircraft:
Short S.23 Empire Flying Boat
Operator:
Registration:
G-ADUZ
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
MSN:
S.817
YOM:
1937
Location:
Brindisi
Apulia
Country:
Italy
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
4
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Circumstances:
Shortly after takeoff from the harbor of Brindisi, the seaplane named 'Cygnus' stalled and crashed into the sea. Six people were injured while two other (a crew member and a passenger) were killed.
Probable cause:
Wrong takeoff configuration on part of the flying crew who wrongly set up the flaps for takeoff, causing the aircraft to stall.

Crash of a Short S.23 Empire Flying Boat off Athens: 3 killed

Date & Time: Oct 1, 1937
Type of aircraft:
Short S.23 Empire Flying Boat
Operator:
Registration:
G-ADVC
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Alexandria – Athens
MSN:
S.820
YOM:
1937
Location:
Athens
Attica / Αττική
Country:
Greece
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
9
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
The approach to the harbor of Phaleron in Athens was initiated in excellent weather conditions with sun, no wind and a calm sea. The float plane named 'Courtier' landed hard, broke off and sank. Three passengers drowned and 11 other occupants were rescued.
Probable cause:
It is believed that the the pilot-in-command may have suffered an optical illusion while trying to land on a mirror like sea.
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