Crash of a Kalinin K-5 in Kharkiv: 2 killed

Date & Time: Nov 16, 1937
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L561
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Moscow – Orel – Kharkiv
MSN:
52
YOM:
1930
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Aircraft flight hours:
2291
Circumstances:
The aircraft was completing a cargo flight from Moscow to Kharkiv with an intermediate stop in Orel, carrying two crew members and a load consisting of 52 metal plates for a total weight of 499 kg. On approach to Kharkiv Airport, the visibility was poor due to fog. The crew continued the descent when, at a distance of four km west from the airfield, the airplane collided with the 60 metres high chimney of a brickyard. The airplane rolled to the right and descended to the ground, bursting into flames. The female copilot was killed and the captain was seriously injured. He died an hour later from injuries sustained.
Probable cause:
The accident was the consequence of the combination of the following factors:
- The crew decided to continue the approach while the visibility was poor due to fog,
- Negligence on part of the employees of the Kharkov meteorological service which resulted in their inability to issue timely bulletins concerning the current weather conditions at destination.

Crash of a De Havilland DH.60G Gipsy Moth in Malvern

Date & Time: Jun 9, 1937 at 1840 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
VH-ULH
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Schedule:
Benalla – Melbourne
MSN:
Genairco 7
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
1
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The aircraft was being flown by Jack Macalister who was attempting a night landing at Essendon Airport, Melbourne. Due to heavy fog, he flew over the city looking for an alternate landing ground. Attempting to land at the Malvern Oval, he struck the spire of St. George's Anglican church and crashed. Both occupants were injured and the aircraft was destroyed.

Crash of a Percival P.10 Vega Gull in Hanworth: 3 killed

Date & Time: May 29, 1937
Type of aircraft:
Registration:
G-AERH
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Hanworth – Hooton Park
MSN:
K.41
YOM:
1936
Region:
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
1
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
Shortly after takeoff from Hanworth Airport, the pilot lost control of the airplane that crashed onto a house. Both occupants were killed and a woman leaving in the house was seriously injured. She died the following day of injuries sustained.
Crew:
Sydney William Sparkes, pilot.
Passenger:
Charles Fry.
On ground:
Elsie F. Abbey.

Crash of an Aichi AB-4 in Sakai: 5 killed

Date & Time: May 27, 1937
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
J-BBQI
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Site:
MSN:
6
YOM:
1935
Location:
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
2
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
Flying too low over the city of Sakai, the float plane collided with the chimney of a factory and crashed. All five occupants were killed.

Crash of a Junkers W.33 in La Paz: 6 killed

Date & Time: Mar 13, 1937
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CB-20
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Schedule:
Apolo – La Paz
Country:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
6
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Circumstances:
On approach to La Paz-El Alto Airport, the crew encountered very bad weather conditions with thunderstorm and heavy rain. Control was lost and the aircraft named 'Sajama' crashed in the district of Cuibaja. Two passengers were injured and six other occupants were killed.

Crash of a Junkers W.34 in Berlin: 5 killed

Date & Time: Feb 11, 1937
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
D-OLYF
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Stargard – Jüterbog
Location:
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
3
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
The airplane departed Stargard on a flight to Jüterbog-Altes Lager AFB, carrying three civilians and two crew members. En route, weather conditions deteriorated and the visibility was poor due to snow falls. While overflying the city of Berlin, the crew failed to realize his altitude was insufficient when the airplane collided with a powerline and crashed on a street located in the district of Berlin-Wedding. All five occupants were killed and few people on the ground were injured.

Crash of a Douglas DC-2-115E in Croydon: 15 killed

Date & Time: Dec 9, 1936 at 1030 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
PH-AKL
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Schedule:
Croydon – Amsterdam – Berlin
MSN:
1358
YOM:
1935
Location:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
13
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
15
Circumstances:
The airport of Croydon was shrouded in fog with visibility fluctuating at around 50 metres and all aircraft were operating under so-called "QBI" (a Q code denoting that all operations have to be performed under instrument flight rules) conditions. Crews were following a white line laid out approximately East-West on the grass surface of Croydon's landing area during their take-off runs (a normal procedure at several airports in the United Kingdom at the time, that had been in use at Croydon since 1931). A number of departures by this method had already been made that day by the time the KLM DC-2 took off, including a Swissair DC-2 about 25 minutes beforehand. The KLM DC-2 named 'Lijster' started its takeoff run along the white line but after about 200 yards (183 m), it veered off the line to the left and on becoming airborne headed south towards rising ground instead of in the normal westerly direction. After flying over the southern boundary of the airport, the aircraft hit the chimney of a house on Hillcrest Road, Purley, then crashed into an empty house on the opposite side of the street. The aircraft, the house and an adjoining house (also empty at the time) were destroyed in the crash and ensuing fire. One passenger and the stewardess survived while all 15 other occupants were killed, among them Admiral Salomon Arvid Achates Lindmann, former Prime Minister of Sweden, and Juan de la Cierva y Cordoniu, the inventor of the Autogyro in 1923 and the vertical takeoff in 1934. At this time, this accident was considered as the worst air crash in the UK in terms of the number of fatalities.
Crew:
Ludwig Hautzmayer, pilot,
Pieter Cornelis van Bemmel Valentijn, radio operator,
Jaap Verkerk, flight engineer,
Hilde Bongertman, stewardess.
Probable cause:
It was determined by the UK Accidents Investigation Branch that the pilot had failed to maintain directional control of the aircraft, and also demonstrated ‘poor judgement’ in not throttling down the engines and abandoning the take-off after it had departed the runway.

Crash of a Savoia-Marchetti SM.81 in Roccagorga: 16 killed

Date & Time: Nov 10, 1936 at 1245 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Rome - Palermo
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
16
Circumstances:
En route from Rome to Palermo, one of the engine failed. The crew apparently attempted an emergency landing when the airplane crashed onto several houses located in the center of the village of Roccagorga, bursting into flames. All four crew members were killed. Some locals attempted to rescue the crew when houses collapsed. Six rescuers and six residents were killed as well.
Crew:
Lt Andrea Fumo,
Lt Corrado Ciani,
Mot Lorenzo Chiovati,
Av Nicola Esposito.
Rescuers:
Giuseppe Cotesta,
Cecilio Lombardi,
Domenico Mancini,
Domenica Menta,
Giuseppe Restaini,
Anselmo Rossi.
Residents:
Felicetta Babbo,
Angela Bruni,
Antonietta Ciotti,
Filomena Fusco,
Vittoria Palombi,
Teresa Rossi.
Probable cause:
Engine failure in flight.

Crash of a Vickers 212 Vellox in Croydon: 4 killed

Date & Time: Aug 10, 1936 at 0200 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
G-ABKY
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Croydon – Paris
MSN:
1
YOM:
1934
Location:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
The airplane departed Croydon Airport on a night mail flight to Paris-Le Bourget, carrying four crew members. Shortly after takeoff, while in initial climb, the airplane encountered difficulties to gain height then stalled and crashed in a garden located in Hillside Gardens, less than a km from the airport, bursting into flames. The aircraft was totally destroyed and all four occupants were killed.
Crew:
Cpt Lionel Frank Hastings Orr, pilot,
Cpt Stanley Miles Fergusson, pilot,
Robert Arbuckle, wireless operator,
Jeffrey Denis Dear, wireless operator.
Probable cause:
The following factors were identified:
- The accident was due to a sudden loss of engine power occurring in circumstances that were unfavourable for and may even have rendered impossible the carrying out of a successful forced landing,
- That the cause of the sudden loss of engine power cannot be determined, but that the evidence is suggestive of the starboard engine having been either the first or the only engine to fail, and
- The most likely cause was either some obstruction of the fuel system or incorrect setting of the fuel controls.

Crash of a Yakovlev AIR-6 in Vyksa: 3 killed

Date & Time: Jul 30, 1936 at 1630 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-K142
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Vyksa - Vyksa
MSN:
7802
YOM:
1935
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
2
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
Without any permission, the pilot took off at 1542LT from Vyksa Airfield with two passengers on board. The purpose of the flight was to land at the new airfield under construction that should be deserving the Drugs Factory in Vyksa. The pilot completed two low approaches, one of them passing below high tension cables. While on a third approach, the airplane passed over houses then the pilot made a sharp turn when he lost control of the airplane that crashed onto houses, bursting into flames. All three occupants were killed and there were no casualties on the ground. Two hours, eight apartments and one grange were destroyed. The airplane was owned by Narkomzdrav, the People's Commission for Health.
Probable cause:
Lack of discipline on part of the pilot who initiated the flight without prior permission and lost control of the airplane after performing hazardous manoeuvres at low altitude over houses.