incidents at croydon airport
Apologies for ressurecting the thread, but I have just driven past the scene of the St Christopher Airservices Gemine crash in Ridge Park by chance for the first time over 40 years. The crash was at no 20 or 22 a house occupied by the Bluitt family. There was thick snow on the ground at the time which might have had some bearing on the accident. The plane came to rest facing the direction it had come, ie Croydon airport, the tail intact, resting on the front facing ridge of the house. I walked round to it after coming home from school to find the plane being guarded by PC Plod who was fending off questions from us 7 year olds. I can remember being suprised at how intact the plane seemed and that it was made from wood, particularly a large concave shaped piece that looked like a wash basin!!!. I think the wings were more or less intact together with one side of the cockpit. There were no coverings or tarpaulins, so we were not aware of any fatalities or injuries to the occupents. I think the wreckage was removed the following day.
Slight thread drift here but but at the adjacent corner, where the road now continues down to Ambrey Way the used to be the gates to a large house called, I think, Wodcote House which became derilict and an illicit playground, but at the time had a blue Speedbird sign at the gates, and I assume the house was used as an office by the nascent BOAC. Again a slight thread drift, but a nearby house in Ridge Park was occupied by a retired G/C who I understand became an accident inspector for the CAA, might have even been the Chief. Indeed a G/C Tweedie lived nearbye in Plough Lane was I understand involved in accident investigation as well.
I have already mentioned in an earlier post how I cowered under the bed clothes as Dakotas, Ansons, and Consuls thundered seemingly between the chimney pots at 0400 with the newspapers. It seems amazing now how there were not more accidents with the airport being situated in a bowl with housing or industry surrounding it. I can remember a Dove with engine problems crawling over the trees of the cricket club next door, I believe it eventualy made a forced landing in fields towards Banstead. The accident mentioned earlier in Wallington was on top of the Methodist Church Hall in Bandon Hill, and it was subsequently rebuilt.
One incident that has always intregued me was one in late 40's on a Saturday, which involved a Dakota taking off towards the terminal building, and colliding with another plane being one being loaded with passengers. The Dakota was an immegrant flight Rhodesia, ( Spencer Airways, overloaded? ) apparently there was time to unload the plane on the apron before the collision. Perhaps someone could enlighten me, getting passengers off plane of that ilk takes some doing in the time available or was it simply a lght plane. We were travelling up Forresters Drive at the time and witnessed a large amount of smoke from the area as we turned into Stratton Avenue on our way home and assumed it was rubbish being burned and didnt realise the significance of it till later.
The only accident that I actually witnessed was that of an Airways Aero Aiglet which splayed its undercarriage onn the east west runway and closed the airport for a couple of hours.
I used to spend many hours by the railings in Forresters Drive watching the comings and goings, the hours I must have wasted!!!, the advent of the Mexican Viking emerging from the Air Couriers hangar and actually flying, or the arrival of the Leonodes Helold to clear Customs being the only highlights I can remember with any clarity, though I did see the Heron climbing away on the last flight as travelled home on the train through South Croydon Station.
I hope these disjointed ramblings are of some interest to fellow residents of the Croydon Airport community Alan