Air Ferry DC-4 Crash 3 June 1967

[wamwig]

Hi All

I've just been doing some family history research and have found a (distant) cousin who was killed in the Air Ferry DC-4 crash in the Pyrenees on 3 June 1967, the day before the BMA Argonaut crashed at Stockport. I've tried to find some information on line about this accident but without much luck, apart from type and date, and so I was wondering if anybody out there may be able to point me towards anything else.

Thanks

Anthony

[Tiger_mate]

Accident
languages: Statuts:
Date: 03 JUN 1967
Heure: 21:06 UTC
Type/Sous-type: Douglas C-54A-1-DC
Operator: Air Ferry
Immatriculation: G-APYK
Numéro de série: 10279
Année de Fabrication: 1944
Heures de vol: 42663
Equipage: victimes: 5 / à bord: 5
Passagers: victimes: 83 / à bord: 83
Total: victimes: 88 / à bord: 88
Dégats de l'appareil: Perte Totale
Lieu de l'accident: Mont Canigou (France)
Phase de vol: En vol
Nature: Charter International
Aéroport de départ: Manston-Kent International Airport (MSE/EGMH), Royaume Uni
Aéroport de destination: Perpignan Airport (PGF)
Détails:
The DC-4 had been cleared to descend from FL70 when it struck a mountain at an altitude of 4000 feet.
PROBABLE CAUSE: "The Commission is of the opinion that the accident occurred following a collision with the mountainside, which resulted directly from a series of errors on the part of the crew (failure to use all the means of radio navigation available in the aircraft, error in dead reckoning, descent starting from a point which had been inadequately identified, failure to observe the safe altitudes fixed on the company's flight plan and, perhaps, mistakes in identification by visual reference to the ground.) This irrational conduct of the flight can be explained by the phenomena due to intoxication by carbon monoxide coming from a defective heating system.
Finally, it should be stressed that the misunderstandings which occurred between the aircraft and the Perpignan controller, as a result of language difficulties and in particular the non-existence of any standard phraseology, and also the failure to check the aircraft's magnetic bearing by means of the D/F equipment during the communication at 20.55hrs, may have constituted additional aggravating circumstances."
Sources:
ICAO Circular 107-AN/81 (55-69); Flight International 12.12.1969 (p.969)
http://aviation-safety.net/photos/aircraft/19670603-1-P-d-1-500.jpg
http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19670603-1&lang=fr

This accident has also been discussed previously on Pprune. Worth a website wordsearch.

[wamwig]

Thanks Tigermate

As you suggested I searched on PPRUNE and found some more info, think I might try the newspapers of the time as well.

Best Regards

Anthony

[rog747]

interesting,
re the picture shown
in the background is a BMA argonaut...

which is the type which crashed the morning after

[Speedbird48]

WAMWIG,

I was flying for Air Ferry at the time. You will find a good report in "The Last Of the Pistons" written by Malcolm Finnis.

Speedbird48.

[robb arrieula]

hi there - i live in australia and have recently come across a lady who lost both parents and her husbands parents in the air ferry crash - june 3, 1967, Mt Canigou i am actually meeting her tonight! can you give me any idea at all where the memorial site for this crash may be. she has been trying to find out and i have spent hours on the internet and making calls to france but nobody seems to know. where did you find the other info on pprune?
hope you can help
thanks
robbie

[Speedbird48]

Hi Robb,

Sorry to hear your friends family that were lost on 'YK.

As you correctly say the aircraft hit Mt. Canigou, which is 9,137ft high, at and altitude of about 3800ft at 21-06hrs. It flew over a village called Prades about 3 or 4 mins. earlier. The thoughts at the time were that the cockpit heater had developed a crack and let Carbon Monoxide into the cockpit. the crews radio calls, that here taped, sounded as if they were intoxicated, which they were not, but Carbon Monoxide poisoning will give a similar effect.

The aircraft hit the mountain just about 1/2 mile above the village of Py which had 146 residents. The mayor at the time was a Rene Pedeil and his secretary was Mlle Calvet.

I know of no memorial, but that does not say that there isn't one.

The author of the book, Twilight of the Pistons, (I got it wrong in the earlier post) Malcolm Finnis is still around, and lives in Eastbourne, East Sussex., He may have better information. I can e-mail him if you wish??

Air Ferry had several Australian Stewardesses at the time, and I am still in touch with one of them who lives in Sydney, although the girls on YK were English.

If I can help any further please PM me.

Speedbird 48.

[LGS6753]

Although I had no link with either incident, I believe that the Air Ferry accident and the British Midland accident marked a shift in the post-war development of the independent airline sector in the UK. The press made much of the fact that these were both elderly "charter" airliners, the strong implication being that independent airlines ran old, unairworthy aircraft on unscheduled operations.

It was after these incidents that the independent airlines realized that the public were clamouring for jet aircraft, and when jets were introduced to package holiday flights, the brochures made much of "Direct Jet flights".

With two incidents occurring on consecutive days, both involving "old" piston engined types, the groundswell of opinion was very strong. Not long after these events, the independent airlines started ordering jet aircraft, and it wasn't too long before tour operators demanded jet aircraft.

Within 2-3 years, refuelling stops at Perpignan and elsewhere had ceased, and the piston engined fleets were replaced by modern One-Elevens, Comets and 737s. By the early 70s, piston aircraft were almost unheard-of on Inclusive Tour flights.

[rog747]

yes lgs6753 very interesting
not many old piston props did I/T flights after 1970's (early)

the last ones were SAM dc-6 from italy and inex adria dc-6 and BIAS dc-6
i often saw them at gatwick
i dont think spantax brought the dc-7's in much after that

cant remember much else lol
no doubt someone here can remind us (please;))

ken fielding has some great pics on his photo site at MAN and LGW from the period

turboprops were still used til early 80's
i remember at BMA we used the viscount to PMI and MAH on night flights from LPL and BHX til about 1981 i think !

i flew to PMI on one from LPL on a friday night and the skipper came down to chat to all the pax and then had his dinner in the back row of the cabin !

took about 5 hours 45 i think to fly there !

[wamwig]

Thanks Speedbird48

I shall have to get a copy of Malcolm's book before they all go then!

Robb. Hope the meeting went ok

Thanks for everybodys help on this

Best regards

Anthony

[rog747]

i just got the book off ebay thanet books and its excellent!!

r eal good read
u can get it there
hope it helps

[rog747]

the book is wonderful

[Speedbird48]

Hi rog747,

Glad you are enjoying the book. Malcolm Finnis did a great job putting it together. He has done another one for Invicta, the other airline at Manston.

It give a good insight to the way things were in those days, including the very sad accidnets.

He even saw fit to put my picture in it in several places??

Speedbird 48.

[robb arrieula]

thanks so much speedbird48,
i think this will help my friend alot - the names of the villages in particular as she had originally thought that the accident happened near pau which is on the western side of the pyrenees, but maybe she was thinking of Py. i will pass this on asap,
thanks again
robb

[robb arrieula]

thanks again Anthony,
the meeting went just fine and i will no doubt see her again soon. she was very pleased to finally find some info on the crash. unfortunately her husband passed away just before christmas so she won't be able to share it with him but she is now on a mission to find out if the memorial still exists and i think she is registering on this site. i will ask her if she would like a copy of the book
cheers
robb

[Speedbird48]

With the help of Pprune, I am glad I was able to help you two guys and your friends just a little.

Very sad times when they happened. I rolled into the Operations office door not knowing that there had been an accident, and my humor was not appropriate. I remember the dirty looks very well.

Just to spread the thread a little.

I was also involved in the Stockport accident by default. I left on the above trip to Palma, Majorca where we had a slight problem with a distributor on #4 engine. The seal had allowed oil to get in, and oil and electric don't mix!! We took it off, washed it out with gas and departed for an uneventful flight and it was written up when we got to Manston where they changed the distributor.

Many months later I came in for a flight to be ushered into the Chief pilots office to meet some men from the Accident Investigation Board (AAIB). I was given a very thorough grilling by these guys as they insisted that I had had engine trouble all the way back from Palma. They did not say what they were looking for, and I assumed that they were getting at me for not writing up the distributor wash that we did in Palma?? In the end I got pissed and said "if you tell me what you are looking for I may be able to help, until then", etc. They changed their tone and told me that they had put the Stockport accident down to contaminated fuel. I had then emptied the same fuel truck that the Argonaut had used, so I must have had fuel contamination!! They were deadly serious!!

My replies had destroyed their theory and they had to go back, and start all over. In the end they found that the fuel and crossfeed levers were not all the way in the correct positions, and the fuel had been flowing from the fullest tanks to empty tanks, and not all going to the engines. A factor was the stretch for the F/O to operate the levers, and they never carried a proper Flight Engineer on the Argonaut. Any self respecting Flight Engineer on any of the big Douglas machines knew how to do this as you could balance the fuel quickly after a refueler had screwed up, or you had miscalculated??

Speedbird 48.

[WHBM]

It was after these incidents that the independent airlines realized that the public were clamouring for jet aircraft ..... the groundswell of opinion was very strong. Not long after these events, the independent airlines started ordering jet aircraft, and it wasn't too long before tour operators demanded jet aircraft.
Actually the bulk of the IT accidents seem to have been caused by navigation CFIT at secondary destination airports rather than airframe-related issues (Stockport being an exception). What would they have given for GPS ? There were a number of other accidents to turbine aircraft on IT flights at the time - Dan-Air Comet at Barcelona, Britannia at Ljubljana etc.

The quick move to jets in the late 1960s was brought about by several coincidental factors.

1. The arrival of the BAC One-Eleven 500 which was well suited to such operations. The 737 came along at the same time which was chosen initially by Britannia as their first jet.

2. BOAC and BEA selling off their Comet fleets for operators like Dan-Air and Airtours.

3. Tour operators forming closer financial links with airlines leading to much longer term contracts, something you can take to the bank to borrow the millions to buy jets. This also led to a concentration on UK airlines rather than destination-based ones, who were even more likely to have old equipment.

4. The bankruptcy of British Eagle in late 1968 removed a large fleet of prop Britannias from the market.

[GotTheTshirt]

At Derby Aviation ( forunner of BMA) we also lost a Dak into a mountain at Perp. in the 60's

Aircraft had Decca but I think it lost the chain. Also we did not use ink in th chart plotters

[robb arrieula]

hi speedbird48,
I am finding this all so interesting. I will be in france on the western side of the pyrenees in april/may so will ring the mairie in Py and find out where the memorial site is. I know it exists as this friend knew people who had seen it many years ago but they have since passed on. As i told Anthony - I think i need to go there myself (for some reason!)
cheers
robb

[wamwig]

If its of interest the Derby Aviation DC-3 crashed on 7 October 1961, with the loss of all 34 on board, also on Mt Canigou!

http://www.crash-aerien.com/www/database/fiche.php?id=3539

Maybe I'll see you there then Robb

Regards

Anthony

[LGS6753]

WHBM -

My post was really referring to sentiment, rather than factual analysis. It was the press that found the 'link' between these two incidents to have been the elderly airframes involved. Whilst I agree that the other factors you mention were instrumental in the change to jet fleets, I still feel that weekend in June 1967 changed the way the public felt about 'old' piston-engined aircraft.

You also mention that British Eagle's demise removed a number of Britannias from the market. On the contrary, those aircraft were bought by the likes of Monarch, Lloyd International and Donaldson who continued to fly them on IT charters, although not for many years.

[rog747]

a very intreresting post

i just finished the book about the history of air ferry and the author mentions that there were a series of accidents into that region around perpignan over those 10 years claiming over 600 lives...
the book is a good read

[webs1275]

HI

I have been told (by the daughter of one of the victims of the Derby Aviation crash) that a possible cause for the crash was magnetic interference caused by unique geological conditions in the area. This may conflict with the findings of the inquiry but provides an interesting theory. Perhaps the two incidents could be connected?

[wiggy]

I doubt it's anything magnetic, more likely "just" the terrain. Before moving down here (I live not far North of Andorra) I imagined the Pyrennees were little more than a bit of a ridge but on arriving here for the first time I was seriously impressed by the terrain. The highest, Aneto is over 3400 metres and the whole ridge has some significant peaks such as the aforementioned Canigou. The range often spawns some ferocious thunderstorms, with all the associated hazards ( turbulence, icing) , and even in clear weather there can be some pretty significant Clear AIr Turbulence.

[atb1943]

I recall Air Ferry's DC-4 G-ASOG crashing on approach to Frankfurt in January 1967 with the loss of the crew. It may have been a freight flight. I used to pass the crash site just north of the then main road from the city to the airport. Black days indeed for operators of pistons.
Hope you find the memorial.

brgds
atb

[teeteringhead]

atb1943

there's quite a bit about G-ASOG on a thread a couple of years ago here (http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=238078)where I too was trying to find out about a (very loose) acquaintance.

Disregard the thread title - I thougth at first it was a Vanguard or Viscount - but AH&N did an epic job in no time flat!

[411A]

Piston transports needed a fair bit more 'management' then their jet counterparts, especially fuel systems.
The DC-6B for example had either eight or ten fuel tanks, requiring dedicated attentiopn by the Flight Engineer for optimal operation.
This, together with shifting blowers, modulating oil shutters and cowl flaps (not to mention the ignition analyzer) kept him fairly busy.

In the end, this one Douglas piston transport was certainly the most reliable, and had the lowest operating cost of any.
The DC-4 wasn't bad, either, although just a tad underpowered.
DC-7?
OK, except for the engines, which seemingly had a mind of their own...failing PRT's with uncommon regularity.

1649 Constellation?
Very complicated, but a good performer...typical Lockheed.

[robb arrieula]

hi speedbird.
i was contacted a couple of months ago by another person from england whose parents were killed in the june 3 air ferry crash on mt canigou. since my husband and i were in france we contacted the village of Py and we managed to put this lady in touch with a retired english teacher living in the village. she also met a local who was there the day of the crash and remembers it well! She was then taken to the actual site where a small piece of the engine still remains. she placed some flowers there. She is the only relative of any victims who has visited the village that they can remember and they are keen to set up some sort of memorial.
so thanks for your help and also for the pprune site!!
robb arrieula

[philbky]

I was in the area of Mt Canigou last August and wondered exactly where the crash site was. The accident has strong resonances for me, not because of any personal involvement but because, at about the time the aircraft crashed, I was at Manchester Airport watching the Argonaut that crashed the next day at Stockport being loaded for its outward journey.

Next morning I woke to news of the crash in France not realising I was about to escape being involved in the Stockport crash by a matter of less than five minutes.

I ran a hiking club and that Sunday we had booked a coach to take a group of us from Stockport to Edale. We picked up at various locations, the final pick up being at Hopes Carr where the last of our party, joining from Bredbury, were dropped off by the father of one of the girls. We then set off again, turned left at Hillgate and then joined the A6. Approaching Stepping Hill Hospital we were surprised to see no less than six ambulances, sirens blaring, rushing towards Stockport. We thought nothing of it until we reached Edale and someone with a transistor radio heard the news on the Light Programme.

The exact location of the crash was unknown to us until we tried to leave the girls for the father to pick up.

Hopes Carr was full of literally hundreds of spectators, at least two ice cream vans and a hot dog vendor, not to mention TV crews and the press - by this time it was around 19.30 hrs.

When we found out the time of the crash, linked it to the ambulances we had seen and the time we were at Hopes Carr, we worked out that our coach had stopped no more than 12 feet from where the tail of the Argonaut landed and we had departed about three minutes before the crash.

The press made much of the precision of the Captain in putting the aircraft down "on the only patch of greenery in a built up area", totally overlooking the fact that Hopes Carr is a very small ravine, only about as long as the Argonaut, and that the aircraft had just flown over the copious greenery of Vernon Park and the fields below the park.

Unlike in France, there is a memorial at Hopes Carr which goes in someway to make up for the ghoulishness of the local populace who remained in their hundreds until late in the evening.

The two crashes happened a month before my 20th birthday and though I had witnessed the Viscount (G-ALWE) disappear from view followed by a column of smoke at Manchester in 1957 and have unfortunately seen a few accidents since, those two events, with very similar aircraft so close together in time, prompted my interest in airliners to to widen to include a detailed interest in air safety and flight deck procedures - what is now called crew resource management - long before NASA became interested and invented the term.

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

philbky - I have only known one person who saw Viscount WE crash in '57 - he was returning from primary school for lunch and saw the whole thing.

Where did you see it from?

I cycled from home (sale then) to Stockport next day to see the Argonout. My dad was involved in the insurance assessment of the TV aerial company the aeroplane came down on, so I got to go on site later that week. I was amazed how old-fashioned were the now-exposed cockpit controls even for 1967 - looked like a WW2 aeroplane.

[philbky]

I think your friend would have been returning to school from lunch as the crash was at 13.46.

I was at St Winifred's Primary School, Didsbury Rd, Stockport which is at the top of the escarpment to the north of the Mersey valley with a view across the Cheshire plain.

We were kicking a ball about when the Viscount flew down the approach. A few of us were interested in aircraft and invested 2/6d in J W R Taylor's ABC Civil Aircraft Markings every year. Movements at Manchester were comparatively sparse in 1957 so we stopped and looked.

As the Viscount flew past, we were whistled into line to go down a path to a football field at a lower level for the afternoon games session.

From our vantage point, aircraft disappeared from view at a point which I was later to learn was overhead Heald Green railway station.

As we started down the path to the field the aircraft disappeared. Seconds later a large column of smoke appeared close to the point we had last seen the aircraft. As nine and ten year olds we were curious about the smoke but did not link it to the aircraft until we were told, on the return to the classroom, that the aircraft had crashed.

Had the wind/atmospheric conditions been right we would have heard the impact as, in the right conditions, it was possible to hear aircraft engines at take off and full power whilst on the ground and, some years later the sound of Vanguards taxying was plainly audible.

[skybird25]

I seem to remember that the faulty heater in this aircraft was a Janitrol. At that time I was a 1-11 line captain with BUA. The captain of the DC-4 had been a F/O with us but was offered a command elsewhere and so left. I had known him earlier in Silver City and Britavia and, knowing him to be very competant, was surprised that this tragic accident should have occurred to his aircraft until learning that he and his co-pilot had suffered from CO poisoning.

[atb1943]

Hallo Skybird,

Magic words those! Blackbushe was my local airport, as kids we were taken up there on our trikes from where we lived in Fleet by our granddad, who had a horse in a field just below Cats Farm Hill. We were always wandering around your aircraft, and those of Eagle too, and I distinctly recall the feeling of walking up a studded floorway to the nose of what turned out to be their Halifax.

Along the side of the Silver City hangar and out-buildings there used to be several foreign aircraft parked, but I can only recall one bearing the name 'Zambesi', later to be identified as a Catalina. You wouldn't happen to have any photos of the general area would you...?

Somewhat later, I took some very unidentifiable photos myself in your hangar with a simple box camera, but all you can recognize is the glazing of a Bell 47!

During the Farnborough show of 1957 I happened to be there when the Seahawk crashed quite close to your out-buildings, and was the first one to reach the pilot, who had come down with I believe a broken ankle. A very good friend took the quite famous photo of its plunge to earth with about a yard to go, and I am to be seen about to take off over the A30 in its direction. Had the Seahawk not corkscrewed in its dive, it would have come down on us at the terminal building. We were watching it come at us, fascinated and rooted to the spot...

Some years later, as a clerk at FUDC I'd have dealings with the father of a schoolchum, Les Painter was his name, and he used to be a general factotum at Eagles as far as I recall. Son's name was Doug.

A friendly police motorcycle patrolman used to call in for a coffee and we got to know him quite well. In fact he arranged for us (spotters) to get a flight in Eagle's Viking G-AMGG.

Some ten years later I'd be working on their Britannias at Heathrow...

Happy days!

brgds
atb

[atb1943]

Teeteringhead

I have just read and re-read your previous posts, for which many thanks!

brgds
atb

[kala87]

Let's not forget two other terrible CFIT accidents involving turboprops belonging to British IT charter airlines in the 1960's and early 1970's: British Eagle Britannia G-AOVO near Innsbruck in winter 1963/64; and the Invicta Vanguard G-AXOP near Basel in April 1973. CFIT accidents were all too prevalent in those days, and certainly not restricted to piston-engined aircraft.

The Invicta accident was especially notorious, and apparently involved a significant amount of spatial disorientation on the part of the crew, while attempting an NDB approach to minimums in a snowstorm. This accident was especially tragic as the aircraft was chartered on behalf of a group of country ladies from Somerset for a day visit to Basel, most of whom had never flown before.

[Isaacs]

I am hoping to receive a reply from this mail.

One of the crew members on board was Captain Isaacs - did you know him?

Many regards,

[Isaacs]

Dear Sir,

I am looking for old Air Ferry colleagues of Captain Edward Isaacs, who died at Mt. Canigou 1967.

I am hoping to hear from you.

[robmack]

Dear abt1943--somewhat off topic but Catalina was VP-KKJ.....early 50s?

[atb1943]

Robmack,

Thank you very much - that is definitely the one.. Looking at the photo in Airliners.net was very evocative.

Somehow though I don't think she was called Zambesi, more like Kilimanjaro, which my grey cells had somehow switched over the years.

Anyway, much appreciate your help, and have a happy new year.

cheers
Alan

[rog747]

hi there,

i posted earlier here last year and this is a very interesting post.
i remember at 10 years old the 2 crashes on the same weekend involving IT charters, air ferry and BMA at stockport.
i am in perpignan soon and hope to try to visit the crash site,
subject to the weather etc (late sept)

the nearest village is py and i understand from others here that its possible to get up there...
any contacts or help would be appreciated.
regards.

[froads]

Sorry gentlemen but I lived close by and watched the Argonaut come down and it was on a Sunday morning, I went straight to the crash site only to fine I was the only one there! 500 ft from the police station.

[voxmundi]

Sorry this info is a bit late but I have only just seen your query. I was married on June 3rd 1967 and had a honeymoon booked for Malgrat de Mar in Spain. We were to fly from Gatwick midday on the Sunday 4th June. In the morning I listened to the radio and heard of the disaster. As my new wife was nervous of flying I kept it to myself. We even flew over the disaster site without realising it and landed in Barcelona. We went to our hotel in Malgrat de Mar and settled in. When we went to the dining room it was half empty and when we enquired why we were told that the Swan Tours Flight that should have brought in the rest of the holidaymakers was the flight that had crashed. The reason for my pre-amble is to let you know how eerie it was to sit in that half empty dining room for the rest of the week. It was just as if we were with the ghosts of those that should have been there.

[rog747]

you were not in the hotel guillem in malgrat per chance were you>?
we were there a week later, for 2 weeks with my mum and dad,
flew on a british eagle britannia LHR-BCN

my mum also was so nervous after the 2 accidents the weekend previously.
(air ferry dc-4 and BMA argonaut)
the previous year my aunt's neighbour's husband died in the vanguard crash
at LHR, so my mum was terrified of flying.

funny also is that i worked for swans tours in 1974 for 18 months after
court line went bust (swans by then used BKS/northeast Tridents from LHR for their charters,
then joined i BMA at LHR 1977 for many years.:8

[ONE GREEN AND HOPING]

Does anyone remember the full names of the two pilots? I think they may both have been ex RAF.

At the time of this accident I was licenced on both the DC4 and C4 Argonaut, but currently on Britannias.

I never worked for Air Ferry, but for some strange reason I was reported somewhere in the press as having been on board. Fortunately, I was still living with my parents in London, and had been at home when the accident occured. When the chief pilot from my own company called on the phone..........assuming until that point that I had been free-lancing on my days off. (This, of course was not totally unheard of in those days) ...My father was able to explain. I had probably gone off somewhere, because I didn't hear about this until a while later.

[bean]

From a book (Air Ferry) by Malcolm Finnis:-

Captains name was Ron Pullinger

First officer Bill Isaacs

[ONE GREEN AND HOPING]

Thanks for the names. (Neither, it turns out, is remotely similar to my own). If I ever discovered which newspaper included my name, I've long since forgotten. It is always just possible that it was identical to someone else on the manifest and somehow got accidentally cross referenced with an MOT list of people with a UK DC4 endorsement. The Carbon Monoxide angle came as a bit of a shock to many.

[murrisk22]

To wamwig, England and robbie arrieula, Australia
I yesterday came upon the memorial to those killed in this aircrash, in Brookwood Cemetery, near Woking, at the furthest end of Eastern Avenue. It's next to the memorial for those killed in an aircrash at Fernhurst, Sussex in November 1967.

[silentman]

There are a number of Headstones re. the Perpignan crash, in S.E London in Hither Green Cemetery in the Borough of Lewisham, London. Contact them and they will give you the names of those who were buried in the cemetery.

[KelvinD]

I have been reading about the accidents in Perpignan and Stockport and wondered if anybody can help me with giving my memory a kick start?
During the early part of 1967, I was posted, as a soldier, from Aden to Francistown, Botswana.
At the end of my stint there, the MoD had to charter an aircraft to get us back to Aden. The reason for this was the Argosy I had arrived on "ruined" the runway. Arriving at the end of the most rainy period in Botswana's history, the Argosy apparently left ruts in the runway on arrival!
Anyway, an aircraft was chartered from Manston. I don't remember the type but I seem to remember the term "Argonaut" being used.
My RAF pal who was responsible for loading and fuelling visiting aircraft was telling me tales of how the aircraft didn't want to balance when empty and of yards of masking tape in use in various places in the hold.
We flew from Francistown to Mombasa and being at night, it was pretty boring, with the exception of the regular appearance of a crew member from the flight deck to what appeared to be a radio equipment bay where he occasionally swapped boxes from one bay to another, with the odd kick. Being a radio technician myself, I fully understood the technique of kicking the damn thing!
As we approached the eastern side of Africa, the aircraft descended and appeared to follow the coast for quite some distance before arriving at Mombasa. Lovely views of the beaches but we were all left wondering if the pilot was using the coast as a route map!
From Mombasa, we flew in a northerly direction until we encountered Djibouti, where we did a right wheel and eventually found Aden.
The aircraft was turned around and headed of back to Francistown to collect more returning soldiers and deliver replacements.
A week or so later, one of my mates from the Botswana posting who had returned after me came into my room, all agog with the news that, according to him, the aircraft we had flown in had just crashed.
I think the aircraft in question was possibly the Air Ferry one that crashed approaching Perpignan.
I wonder if anyone has information on whether or not it was indeed Air Ferry that had been used for these trooping flights?

PS It was not a good year for anyone flying on anything I had previously flown on. Having returned to UK from Aden on an RAF Britannia cas-evac flight in October 1967, I heard the aircraft returned to Aden with mail, spares, nurses etc and failed to stop on the runway at Khormaksar. The aircraft was destroyed but there were apparently no casualties.
Kelvin

[Carvair66]

Why is it that comedy can intrude in even the most tragic circumstances? Obituary for Fleet Street hell-raiser Peter Batt who infamously and unwittingly became for an hour or two 'the story' for his fellow hacks covering the crash. Dates it as 1962 so it seems he is a few months out with his dates.

Fleet St’s legendary sportswriter Peter Batt has died « Sports Journalists' Association (http://www.sportsjournalists.co.uk/the-giller-memorandum/peter-batt-sportswriter-and-eastenders-scriptwriter-has-died/)

[The AvgasDinosaur]

Quote from KelvinDI have been reading about the accidents in Perpignan and Stockport and wondered if anybody can help me with giving my memory a kick start?
During the early part of 1967, I was posted, as a soldier, from Aden to Francistown, Botswana.
At the end of my stint there, the MoD had to charter an aircraft to get us back to Aden. The reason for this was the Argosy I had arrived on "ruined" the runway. Arriving at the end of the most rainy period in Botswana's history, the Argosy apparently left ruts in the runway on arrival!
Anyway, an aircraft was chartered from Manston. I don't remember the type but I seem to remember the term "Argonaut" being used.
My RAF pal who was responsible for loading and fuelling visiting aircraft was telling me tales of how the aircraft didn't want to balance when empty and of yards of masking tape in use in various places in the hold.
We flew from Francistown to Mombasa and being at night, it was pretty boring, with the exception of the regular appearance of a crew member from the flight deck to what appeared to be a radio equipment bay where he occasionally swapped boxes from one bay to another, with the odd kick. Being a radio technician myself, I fully understood the technique of kicking the damn thing!
As we approached the eastern side of Africa, the aircraft descended and appeared to follow the coast for quite some distance before arriving at Mombasa. Lovely views of the beaches but we were all left wondering if the pilot was using the coast as a route map!
From Mombasa, we flew in a northerly direction until we encountered Djibouti, where we did a right wheel and eventually found Aden.
The aircraft was turned around and headed of back to Francistown to collect more returning soldiers and deliver replacements.
A week or so later, one of my mates from the Botswana posting who had returned after me came into my room, all agog with the news that, according to him, the aircraft we had flown in had just crashed.
I think the aircraft in question was possibly the Air Ferry one that crashed approaching Perpignan.
I wonder if anyone has information on whether or not it was indeed Air Ferry that had been used for these trooping flights?
I have made enquiries on your behalf with Malcolm Finnis author of two excellent books on Air Ferry and Invicta (PM me for full details of either - to avoid the advert police) and his reply is as follows
Dear David
This would have been one of the Francistown charters flown by Invicta, the first was from 12-30 April 1967 and the second from 18 June -4 July. They were flown by DC-4s, G-ASPM certainly flew one and may have carried out both; if both were not by Papa Mike, the other would almost certainly have been G-ASPN; it is unlikely G-ASZT would have been used for this work.

Hope this helps; isn't it amazing how items still come up!
Kind regards
Malcolm
So Kelvin your aircraft should have had a red tail, and round radial engines not the sleek inline profile of the Merlin. I think British Midlands Argonauts would have been far too busy at that time of year, conveying holiday makers to the sun, to go gallivanting off to Africa, by the time the second flight took place they were grounded anyway, I think or about to be.
Hope it helps
David

[KelvinD]

David,
Many thanks for you efforts.
I have no idea re the colour of the tail as it was dark when we left Francistown and just glad to get off the blooming thing by the time we arrived back in Aden!
Still, I suppose it was better than the outbound flight from Aden to Francistown on an RAF "whistling tit".
Sat on para seats, a piece of canvas stretched between parallel tubes with a net for a safety belt, for 19 hours was not a lot of fun.
After 2 refuelling stops in Nairobi and Chileka (Blantyre), the pilot decided to fly low over Rhodesia for the last leg.
We assumed this was a deliberate provocation of the Rhodesians as relations between the UK government and Ian Smith's regime were at the fist shaking level.
Still, the pilot was good enough to show us Victoria Falls!
Thanks again.
Kelvin

[Sigarfo]

Well I was just checking the web for pictures of DC4 G-APYK today when I came across this site and in particular this thread.. I'm a collector of anything odd, old or slightly unusual, my wife calls it all rubbish....
Well just two days ago I purchased

Board of trade Civil Aircraft Accident Report printed by Her Majesty's Statioary Office

it is the full accident report to Skymaster DC4 G-APYK
near Mont Canigou, Pyrenees Orientales on the 3rd of June 1967
it is the full report translation of the report issued by the French Ministry of Transport

Also with this purchase came original news paper cuttings & pages from different news papers and a magazine too with a full spread on this plane crash
also a news paper showing the Stockport crash too
Also 3 letters one from the board of trade one from a relative and one to a relative from a solicitors relating to this accident report

So if you need to know any information about this flight then please ask and I will let you know

This is a very interesting lot.....

[MinervaFord]

What brings me here? I guess a somewhat personal history of events, relating to my family and this specific disaster.

My Father told me a story today about my Grandparents in the 1960s. My Grandfather was asked by friends in the summer of 1967 if they would like to join them on a trip to Perpignan. Apparently he was very hopeful of going on this trip and tried to convince my Grandmother to accept the invitation to join the other couple on this holiday. However, my Grandmother was simply afraid of flying and was adamant that she did not want to go. They ended up not going. If they had decided to go, my Mother (aged 12) would have been on the flight also. My Grandmother and Grandfather actually witnessed the flight leave Manston Airport (I believe they watched the plane head off from the vantage point of Sandwich Bay).

Life is so fragile. One moment of history can change everything. My prayers go out to all those who perished in the Perpignan Air Disaster, on behalf of myself and my dear grandparents who blessed my life and are no longer with me.

[bunny6]

Hi
Does anyone have a passenger list for this flight.
Our family seem to remember that a group of lads going on holiday were killed in a crash from their estate around about this time. We are trying to find out if this was the flight that they would of been on. We know the flight crashed into a mountain of some sort.

[ONE GREEN AND HOPING]

Yes, I've got two newspapers from the 5th June 1967 and the full list of the 88 passengers and crew who lost their lives on Mt Canigou, near Py.

To look at the general area on 'Google Earth', there is a marker on Canigou at about 6800'. It's roughly NW of Py.

For the moment I'm not able to scan and post the page online, but if you can give me a family name, I will check for you.

The accident occurred less than 12 hours before the Stockport Argonaut crash in which another 72 died.
I have posted previously above.... #44 and #46...., but earlier this year, I came across these long forgotten newspapers.


Quoting from the Daily Mail: " It was the ninth aircraft to crash in the Hoodoo area of the Pyrenees, called the Evil Triangle Since 1961".
A DC3 in 1961, and a French owned Viking in 1963 crashed on or near to Canigou. Evil Triangle smacks a bit of UK tabloid speak. I expect the French just call it Canigou.......

[ONE GREEN AND HOPING]

Since posting earlier, I've just found another newspaper, the Daily Mirror of the same date, June 5th. 1967. A brief report here from an inside page......
( Also includes a photograph of Peter McCormick and girlfriend.)

____________________________________________________________ _______________

Seven youths, who planned a 'flying holiday' over pints in their local pub, died in the Perpignan disaster.

Regulars at the Fox and Hounds in Sydenham heard of their deaths last night.

Landlord Arthur Cooper said, " They were so jovial and well-mannered, and were never any trouble to anyone. They were marvellous people - not an ounce of nastiness in them".

The seven who died were Brian Cavanagh, Barry Hancock, Alan Vincent, John McCormick, Edward Spooner, Brenan Wilson, and David Allen.

All were aged between eighteen and twenty. David lived in Lambeth. The others all came from Sydenham.

Another of the lads at the 'local' - 19 year old Peter McCormick- cancelled his reservation on the same flight at the last minute.
He said last night, " I had to make a choice between getting engaged, and spending £75
on a holiday with the lads.......he got engaged.

Peter, of Earlsthorpe Road, Sydenham, went on: " We were all the greatest of friends. It's terrible that everyone's gone like this. All they wanted was a bit of fun".

[bunny6]

thank you.these were the lads we were thinking of.my mother remembered one of the names and there was a
Boy at
My husbands
School whose elder
Brother had died in the crash. My
Mother seems to remember that one of
The boys was
Never recovered and they were all buried together.thankyou for your information as there seems
To be very few people who seem to recollect it
Now.

[pppdrive]

I flew 02Jun1967 Air Ferry LK101 Manston-Basle on G-ASFY and was at Basle awaiting the return flight. If my memory serves me well, the return was to be operated by Air Ferry which were positioning the aircraft empty from Perpignan. That was the flight that unfortunately did not make it into Perpignan. We eventually returned on LK112 on G-AWIY
Paul

[Planemike]

We eventually returned on LK112 on G-AWIY


Paul.........

Not G-AWIY, more likely G-ARIY...........

Planemike

[pppdrive]

Thanks Planemike, Although I have kept records of all my flights, It's easy to have got some registations down wrongly. I'll update my records.
Thanks, Paul

[pppdrive]

Planemike, I also show a flight later in 1967 on G-ARWI, would I have got that one incorrectly as well?
Paul

[Planemike]

Paul...........

G-ARIY was registered to Aviation Overhauls of Speke, an associate company of Starways, I am pretty sure.

G-ARWI was leased by Air Ferry from Lloyd International following the loss of G-APYK 03 June 67. Lease lasted from June to October 67, sorry no exact dates.

Planemike

[pppdrive]

Thanks Planemike, it was between those dates, so that one is OK
Paul

[A330-flyer]

Hello,
I have been following this thread for a while. I have visited the crash site twice in recent years. Most parts have vanished into the forest floor and only a metal detector reveales that the area is littered with pieces of the wreckage.
The most eerie parts lying scattered in the river are parts of the seats and a safety belt!
I have uploaded 3 photos to aviation-safety.net a while ago.
ASN Aircraft accident Douglas C-54A-1-DC G-APYK Mont Canigou (http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19670603-1)

I have been trying to find photos of the crash site right after the accident. Can anybody help out?

Regards
Chris

[stalwart53]

I've only just found this forum after Googling for "G_APYK", and after a quick look through this topic I understand that someone was asking for a list of victims. I have such a list, which is part of the official French investigation document, and it is as follows :-
Mr Pullinger (Ronald), commandant de bord.
Mr Isaacs (Edward), copilote.
Mr Fisher (Richard), second officier.
Miss Dunn (Catherine), première hôtesse.
Miss Mc Cann (Patricia), deuxième hôtesse.
Mr Allen (David).
Mrs Beauchamp (Mary).
Mr Beaver (Graham).
Mr Bray (Charles).
Mrs Bray (Barbara).
Mr Brown (John).
Mr Cain (Harry).
Mrs Cain (Mary).
Miss Cunningham (Margaret).
Mr Clark (John).
Mrs Clark (Nellie).
Mr Mc Cormick (John).
Mr Drayton (Philip).
Mrs Drayton (Kathïeen).
Mr Dossor (Peter).
Mr Dunlop (Robert).
Miss Edwards (Patricia).
Mr Fowler (Alan).
Mr Flowers (Frederick).
Mrs Flowers (Jean).
Mr Me Gowan (Terence).
Mr Hancock (Barry).
Mr Handley (John).
Mrs Handley (Shirley).
Miss Handley (Claire).
Mr Heath (Anthony).
Mrs Hutson (Doris).
Mr Hugginson (Brian).
Mrs Hugginson (Kathryn).
Miss Hughes (Diana).
Mr Illingworth (Ernest).
Mrs Illingworth (Margaret).
Mr Mc Intyre (John).
Mrs Mc Intyre (Elizabeth).
Mr Jackson (Peter).
Mrs Jackson (Vera).
Master Jackson (Christopher).
Master A. Jackson (Adrian).
Miss Jackson (Dianne).
Mr James (David).
Mrs James (Dora).
Mrs Jones (Kathleen).
Mr Jones (James).
Mr Kanavagh (Brian).
Mr Kirkup (John).
Mr Kenyon (May).
Mrs Lamb (Ellen).
Miss Liversage (Joyce).
Mr Martin (Ronald).
Mrs Martin (Lilian).
Mr Muller (Paul).
Mrs Muller (Phyllis).
Mr Mason (James).
Mrs Mason (Bertha).
Mr Nicholson (Joseph).
Mrs Nicholson (Isabel).
Mr Nicol (Joseph).
Mr Nicholas (James).
Mrs Nicholas (Rita).
Master Nicholas (David).
Enfant Nicholas (Sarah).
Mr Ratcliffe (William).
Mrs Ratcliffe (Shelagh),
Mr Rafferty (William).
Mrs Reed (Enid).
Miss Scott (Marie).
Mr Smith (Henry).
Mrs Smith (Annie).
Mr Shann (David).
Mr Strutt (Frederick).
Mrs Strutt (Mary).
Mr Sullivan (John).
Mrs Sullivan (Maureen).
Mr Spooner (Edward).
Mr Taylor (Royston).
Mrs Taylor (Nancy).
Mrs Tomlinson (Charlotte).
Mrs Tully (Béryl).
Mr Vincent (Alan).
Mr Whitton (David).
Mr Wedge (George).
Mr Wilson (Brennan).
Mr Potter (Ronald).
This list was never included in the official British report.

[mikecharles]

Hi! I am interested in your 2011 posting on the Perpignan air crash of 1967.
Now 63, living in Leeds, I vividly remember this event concerning 6 colleagues and friends from General Accident Insurance in Hull.
I was just 17. They were messrs Fowler, Whitton, Dossor, Shann, Nichol and Kirkup. I have a copy of the book Twighlight of the Pistons, and just yesterday downloaded the official report in French; I would like a copy of the English version and indeed would be grateful if you have any relevant details concerning these 6 lads; postage/costs no problem.
Funnily, I went on a coach trip to Folkstone/Canterbury this May and they took us to Manston airport/museums where the flight flew from of course.
My email is: [email protected].
Many thanks, Mike.

[piglet12]

Thank you to the person who wrote the names on here. I now live in Whitstable, but I came from Sydenham, London and we were friends of Vi and Peter Kavenagh, the mother and brother of Brian Kavenagh. Unforunately Vi passed away a couple of years ago, but we are still in touch with Peter, who was only a baby when he lost his brother Brian. I don't know why I started to look this up but something made me want to know more about the crash and see if there was a passenger list, just so that I could see his name in print! (we have photo's of his headstone) and I couldn't find the info anywhere, so I was so pleased to see his name mentioned somewhere, as these young men should never be forgotten.

[Mjatam]

I lived on Sydenham Hill Estate and will never forget that Sunday Morning nor will I the funeral of six of the seven. Peter McCormack was a good friend and the Estate was never the same. I did visit some years ago and met up with some of the family who still live there.

[fortunateguy]

I had my first bad experience flying for the very first timeout of Manston Airport on an Air Ferry Ltd DC4 (Invicta Airways?) in the 1stweek of June 1966. We had booked a11-day package holiday with a Northern travel agent ‘Lyons Tours’ to BarcelonaAirport, mainly because they were cheap! We were booked into the Hotel Acapulco in Calella on the CostaDorada. Most of the holiday makersappeared to be Northerners. As we flewover the Pyranee’s I was fascinated by seeing small peaks of mountain top’ssticking thru the clouds. That is untilthe plane suddenly dropped like a stone through the clouds, with a feeling likeyour stomach was still up there above cloud level! The stewardess and several passengersstanding in the gangway fell over and the passengers let out a scream. The stewardess recovered quickly and shouted‘Seatbelts on!’ The plane shuddered to astop and gradually started to climb again. A laborious process and you could feel both the wings flapping, almostlike a bird! There was no visibilitythrough the porthole windows because we had dropped quite a way into theclouds. Remembering the peaks that stuckup above cloud level I looked at my 22-year old wife and daughter and I said ‘Ithink we are going to die!’ We justcuddled up. After what seemed ages in thegradual ascent the plane suddenly entered clear sky again. The pilot then explained over the intercomthat the plane had entered a ‘vacuum’ that resulted in the sudden drop. We had a terrific first Spanish holiday andmade friends with many of the northern families, although the apprehension ofhomeward flight did pop into my head on more than one occasion. As we all sat in the open air bar in theearly morning hours of departure day we agreed that we enjoyed the holiday somuch that we will all meet up again at the same Hotel Acapulco with Lyons Toursagain in the first June flight in 1967.

Given that hardly any of the hotel staff or shopkeepersspoke English I was determined to impress the group and immediately startingstudying Spanish by reading a brilliant book (Madrigals Magic Key to Spanish)and buying a linguaphone Spanish language course. I studied virtually morning noon and nightright up until around the point where Lyons Tours produced their 1967brochure. I had phoned the travel agentsalmost daily asking if the brochure had arrived and when they confirmed they’dreceived it I immediately asked one of our delivery couriers to pop in and getit for me. I had completed the bookingform in record time just before lunch for the identical Hotel Acapulco holidaydeparting Saturday evening on the 3rd June 1967. At lunchtime I jumped on my bike (didn’t havea car then) and peddled like mad for the 3-mile trip to town centre travelagents to get in quick and secure my booking. As I arrived at the large town centre roundabout a very strange thoughtcame into my head ‘Go home and tell Joan!’ I never ever consulted my wife on finances, so I just shrugged it offand having passed the exit point cycled back around the roundabout. I did that 3-times before, for peace of mind,before deciding that as it was only 5-minutes pedalling away I would informher. On arrival I just dumped my bike onour front lawn and opened the letter box. I saw her standing in the kitchen, so I just shouted out that ‘I’mbooking the holiday!’ and jumped back on my bike. As I pedalled away she opened the front doorand called me back. She started talkingabout a guy a few doors away who sold cheap HP repossession cars. I couldn’t believe it and I was furious! I told her I wasn’t going to waste all thatSpanish language studying for all those months. She argued I was being selfish because if I took driving lessons andbought a car we would be able to travel about independently and that a Spanish11-day holiday would soon be forgotten. In my heart I knew she was right, so I gave in and after speaking to theguy who did the HP repossession deals I almost shed a tear as I tore up thebooking form. It was a disaster! We borrowed money from a finance company tobuy the car that I had paid for and it was a stolen ringer! The police recovered it from the neighbour’sgarage to pass back to the rightful owner

On the late afternoon of 3rd June 1967 I said to Joan‘Do you know where we would be on our way to now if you hadn’t haveinterfered?’ She got a bit tearful, asshe then started saying that she wondered if some of the people who we made thepact with were sitting there saying that Joan & Stan are a bit late. Just before midnight as I got up to turn offthe TV the screen it changed to a large black & white ‘NEWSFLASH’ warningand a newsreader solemnly said that there had been a plane crash at Perpignanin France with no survivors. Joan lookedat me and I said ‘No way! There arehundreds of night flights, it wasn’t our one.’ Nothing in Sunday papers, but Monday nationals all carried the story ofthe crashed Air Ferry DC4 and it then dawned on me how lucky I was to haveresponded to that voice in my head as I rushed to book that strickenflight. I often looked at our 1966Spanish holiday photo’s and wondered how many people did keep the pact we allmade?

[rog747]

goodness, what a story, how lucky you guys were.
also later the same morning a BMA Argonaut crashed at Stockport on its way back from Majorca...2 big holiday plane crashes in 24hours.

that was the days where we had to save for everything and book holidays the day the brochure came out or you could not get booked up...

one such tour company called martin rooks used to have queues around the block in December with people waiting for their office to open for the next summers bookings...

[fortunateguy]

Yes, we were extremely lucky that peculiar circumstances prevented me from booking the holiday & paying the deposit - that would have sealed both the holiday and our certain deaths for sure! I also recall the Stockport crash that occurred just hours after the Perpignan one, and that one sort of overshadowed the Perpignan press reports because it happened here in the UK.

It's a shame I wasn't so lucky in my above long post about the two holidays, because as the volume of typing I had to do was so long I first completed it as an MS Word document which was grammatically perfect. I then just highlighted, copied & pasted it into the forum input field but I see that in the pasted copy a considerable number of words have become attached to each other. Thank God I've input direct within this post.

Does any member of this thread have a copy of one of the Lyons Tours 1966/67 brochures that they could scan the page that advertised Hotel Acapulco in Calella and email me a jpeg photo?

[rog747]

i too have looked around for any Lyons Tours old archive but nothing really comes up...

our first holiday to Costa Brava at Malgrat in 1964 was with Everyman (part of Lunn Poly) and we flew British Eagle Britannia jet-prop to Barcelona

my dad would not go with Lyons as they used OLD planes and flew to Perpignan!
(which is were we came in lol )

sometimes Ebay brings up old holiday brochures...cannot find any ref to hotel Acapulco in calella but only one hotel called that in Lloret de mar...

i ended up working with another old long gone tour company called Swan Tours (not swan hellenic) who in 1975 were bought out by Inghams.

BTW you say you flew in 1966 to BCN as you mention...Lyons still coached some of their holidaymakers across the border from France to the Costa Brava...

[Phildm]

Hi I have stumbled upon this post because I have been researching family history and my grandparents, Philip and Kathleen Drayton were sadly killed on this plane, and are buried with many of the victims in a mass grave at Brookwood cemetry in Surrey.
I have not had the chance to read all the posts yet, but I certainly will and will most likely comment again once I have.:ok:

[rog747]

hi phildm

this thread is well worth a read - someone has climbed recently to the site
at Canigou

this book is worth getting

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Twilight-Pistons-Ferry-Manston-Airline/dp/1905477937

[Phildm]

Hi, I have read it all now, absolutely fascinating and sends a shiver up my spine also. My uncle Barrie Drayton has just returned from the crash site, second time he has been there, and on Tuesday I am taking him to Brookwood, surprisingly he has never been there, though he does live in North West Scotland.!

I have ordered the book and now seek a copy of the report in english, I must get in touch with the chap who has a copy.

[margaretm]

Hi Sigarfo.
Can you tell me how I can get hold of the English version of the report of the accident to air ferry DC4 on 3/6/67. My parents Philip and Kathleen Drayton were on the plane, (my husband and I would have been as well had I not been pregnant with my son at the time) I have the French version but my French is not that good.

[rog747]

try this Final report from French authorities (translations) | The National Archives (http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/SearchUI/details?Uri=C5070216)

but Google should translate the french report

[eleanor135]

I was on the aircraft about two weeks before it crashed. It sounded very rough and we were diverted to Herne bay airport and later bussed to Luton.
It was the return journey from a school trip.
I have been haunted by the face of the stewardess who was very kind to us and her face was on the front page of the Mirror (I think) when the crash was reported.

I am not used to these site things but wanted to say something to the last person who posted re this crash....perhaps the newspaper reports could help him/her

[Spooner67]

My nan's brother Edward spooner is one of the seven lads from Sydenham that died in the air crash as they was off on there holiday. It upsets me thinking what my family must have gone through at the time of this tragic accident. We still lay flowers and maintain the graves to this day. RIP lads your never forgotten.

[Frenchlands]

We are approaching the 50th Anniversary of the Disaster at Py in 1967.
Are there any plans to commemorate this event this year? I am not related to any of those who lost their lives in this disaster, but, as a person in my youth who knew families who lost their lives in the Stockport Air Disaster the following day, I just thought it would be appropriate to enquire whether any plans were in place to mark this memorial in France on the appropriate date. I will be on holiday nearby this coming June and would be available to support any such remembrance on the day at Puy, in the Pyrenees.

[rog747]

We are approaching the 50th Anniversary of the Disaster at Py in 1967.
Are there any plans to commemorate this event this year? I am not related to any of those who lost their lives in this disaster, but, as a person in my youth who knew families who lost their lives in the Stockport Air Disaster the following day, I just thought it would be appropriate to enquire whether any plans were in place to mark this memorial in France on the appropriate date. I will be on holiday nearby this coming June and would be available to support any such remembrance on the day at Puy, in the Pyrenees.


not that i know of sorry- tried searching for the mayor (Marie) village of Py or the nearby villages to see if you can make contact with any officials or maybe one of the older hotels/cafes who may have owners who recall the event

link here to marie i found http://mairiedepy.free.fr/
http://mairiedepy.free.fr/

also worth looking back through all the posts here too for more info - i sent an email today to the marie to ask if any events

best of luck let us know how you get on

http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19670603-1&lang=fr

as you may know there is much going on for the BMA stockport anniversary with a new book and new tv documentary

i recall the weekend 50 years ago very well waking up to the news of 2 Holiday tour air crashes air ferry and BMA at stockport
Lyon tours and arrowsmith i think were the companies

the sad events were pivotal in tour operators ditching old piston fleets and switching to new jets and jet-props (turboprops)

[Frenchlands]

Thanks for your information. Let me know if you have a response from the Mairie In Py. I will try to progress this after my arrival in the Languedoc next week, Py is about an hour and a half's drive away - I am happy to visit Py and the Mairie to progress matters if this is possible, but as you may know, the French work in their own, mysterious ways! Let's hope the Mairie are amenable to suggestions!












not that i know of sorry- tried searching for the mayor (Marie) village of Py or the nearby villages to see if you can make contact with any officials or maybe one of the older hotels/cafes who may have owners who recall the event

link here to marie i found http://mairiedepy.free.fr/
http://mairiedepy.free.fr/

also worth looking back through all the posts here too for more info - i sent an email today to the marie to ask if any events

best of luck let us know how you get on

Crash-aerien 03 JUN 1967 d'un Douglas C-54A-1-DC (DC-4) G-APYK - Mont Canigou (http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19670603-1&lang=fr)

as you may know there is much going on for the BMA stockport anniversary with a new book and new tv documentary

i recall the weekend 50 years ago very well waking up to the news of 2 Holiday tour air crashes air ferry and BMA at stockport
Lyon tours and arrowsmith i think were the companies

the sad events were pivotal in tour operators ditching old piston fleets and switching to new jets and jet-props (turboprops)

[rog747]

Thanks for your information. Let me know if you have a response from the Mairie In Py. I will try to progress this after my arrival in the Languedoc next week, Py is about an hour and a half's drive away - I am happy to visit Py and the Mairie to progress matters if this is possible, but as you may know, the French work in their own, mysterious ways! Let's hope the Mairie are amenable to suggestions!

got your PM thanks
will of course let you know if i get a reply from the Marie - best of luck your end - my suggestion is have a wander around the village and talk to locals

some of the previous posts on here are helpful too

best Rog

[rog747]

re the 50th year of air ferry crash nr. Py Mt Canigou

i just wrote to the Marie (mayor) of Py village and here is the reply just received

[email protected]>
Sent: 20 March 2017 08:16
To: roger
Subject: RE : re 1967 air ferry DC4 airliner crash on Mt Canigou Py 50th anniversary

Dear Roger
Good morning and thank you for you email.
I am sorry but there isn't any memorial service organised in Py.
However if any of the families involved would like to come down to Py then something could probably be arranged.
Please do let me know
Regards
Françoise Elliott
Maire Adjointe de Py

[ozsmac]

Just adding my personal connection to this thread, Annie and Henry Smith were my Mothers parents, and from the stories I've heard would have been wonderful grandparents to my brother and I. Poor Mum lost them to this tragedy when she was 18, and this incident still leaves a very noticeable daily impact upon our family, and no doubt many others.

I ho

[stalwart53]

I would dearly love to make the trip to Py for the anniversary, because my sister was the lead hostess on the plane, but due to a recent stroke (not severe, but bad enough), I have to miss out. When I was there in 1998, I met an English woman who along with her husband, ran a wine cellara little further down the valley (possibly in Sahorre), and she had kept all the local newspapers from the time, and they had a lot of information. I also met the son of the mayor at the time of the crash, and he was also very knowledgeable, he also used to be a mechanic for Alain Prost the racing driver.
At the time, that time I met a number of very friendly people in and around the village, though I haven't been back since then, I'm sure they are just as friendly now, and more so if you at least try to communicate in French.

[Jo Illingworth]

I've only just found this forum after Googling for "G_APYK", and after a quick look through this topic I understand that someone was asking for a list of victims. I have such a list, which is part of the official French investigation document, and it is as follows :-
Mr Pullinger (Ronald), commandant de bord.
Mr Isaacs (Edward), copilote.
Mr Fisher (Richard), second officier.
Miss Dunn (Catherine), première hôtesse.
Miss Mc Cann (Patricia), deuxième hôtesse.
Mr Allen (David).
Mrs Beauchamp (Mary).
Mr Beaver (Graham).
Mr Bray (Charles).
Mrs Bray (Barbara).
Mr Brown (John).
Mr Cain (Harry).
Mrs Cain (Mary).
Miss Cunningham (Margaret).
Mr Clark (John).
Mrs Clark (Nellie).
Mr Mc Cormick (John).
Mr Drayton (Philip).
Mrs Drayton (Kathïeen).
Mr Dossor (Peter).
Mr Dunlop (Robert).
Miss Edwards (Patricia).
Mr Fowler (Alan).
Mr Flowers (Frederick).
Mrs Flowers (Jean).
Mr Me Gowan (Terence).
Mr Hancock (Barry).
Mr Handley (John).
Mrs Handley (Shirley).
Miss Handley (Claire).
Mr Heath (Anthony).
Mrs Hutson (Doris).
Mr Hugginson (Brian).
Mrs Hugginson (Kathryn).
Miss Hughes (Diana).
Mr Illingworth (Ernest).
Mrs Illingworth (Margaret).
Mr Mc Intyre (John).
Mrs Mc Intyre (Elizabeth).
Mr Jackson (Peter).
Mrs Jackson (Vera).
Master Jackson (Christopher).
Master A. Jackson (Adrian).
Miss Jackson (Dianne).
Mr James (David).
Mrs James (Dora).
Mrs Jones (Kathleen).
Mr Jones (James).
Mr Kanavagh (Brian).
Mr Kirkup (John).
Mr Kenyon (May).
Mrs Lamb (Ellen).
Miss Liversage (Joyce).
Mr Martin (Ronald).
Mrs Martin (Lilian).
Mr Muller (Paul).
Mrs Muller (Phyllis).
Mr Mason (James).
Mrs Mason (Bertha).
Mr Nicholson (Joseph).
Mrs Nicholson (Isabel).
Mr Nicol (Joseph).
Mr Nicholas (James).
Mrs Nicholas (Rita).
Master Nicholas (David).
Enfant Nicholas (Sarah).
Mr Ratcliffe (William).
Mrs Ratcliffe (Shelagh),
Mr Rafferty (William).
Mrs Reed (Enid).
Miss Scott (Marie).
Mr Smith (Henry).
Mrs Smith (Annie).
Mr Shann (David).
Mr Strutt (Frederick).
Mrs Strutt (Mary).
Mr Sullivan (John).
Mrs Sullivan (Maureen).
Mr Spooner (Edward).
Mr Taylor (Royston).
Mrs Taylor (Nancy).
Mrs Tomlinson (Charlotte).
Mrs Tully (Béryl).
Mr Vincent (Alan).
Mr Whitton (David).
Mr Wedge (George).
Mr Wilson (Brennan).
Mr Potter (Ronald).
This list was never included in the official British report.

Ernie Illingworth was my Grandfathers brother and Margaret was Ernies wife. My Grandfather had booked to go on that holiday but had cancelled due to my Nana having bad feelings, how different things could have been.

[lotus1]

I remember my aunt and uncle going to Spain with Air ferry they had to catch a east Kent coach from Victoria station then to manston story goes this was there first flight in a aircraft and when they had done the booking was advised to do a will? They said when they rolled up at manston and saw what they was flying on they thought to there selfs did the holiday agent know something but they said they had a great holiday. I remember visiting manston around 96 while looking at the tired and exotic 707s which littered the apron I/e omega air with the old invicta hanger which was modern jet support there was another hanger on the left hand side you could faintly see the words Air ferry on this .i have both copies of Airferry and invicta airlines books they are both a good read . RIP to all those who lost there lives in that tragic accident .

[Expressflight]

Does anyone know if Malcolm Finnis, author of 'Twilight of the Pistons' (the Air Ferry story) which was published in 1997, is still around and if so how he can be contacted?

[The AvgasDinosaur]

Does anyone know if Malcolm Finnis, author of 'Twilight of the Pistons' (the Air Ferry story) which was published in 1997, is still around and if so how he can be contacted?
I have an old email for him, I’ll try and check if it’s still valid.
please PM me your contact details and I will pass them on if able.
Be lucky
David

[Expressflight]

Many thanks David.
PM on its way to you.

[The AvgasDinosaur]

Many thanks David.
PM on its way to you.
Sorry no reply as yet. Though I did say it’s an old e-mail address but will keep trying.
There was at one time a staff association in that area, might be worth checking?
Be lucky
David

[browndhc2]

Not sure about Air Ferry but Silver City certainly has an Ex staff association whose chairman was Keith Dagwell.They also have an online presence but I am unable to post a link here due to my low number of contributions. Some years ago there were joint reunions with ex-Air Ferry and Invicta folk at Lydd -sorry, Ferryfield the last being several years ago now. Anyhow they may have an up to date contact address/email for Malcolm.

[Thom Bush]

My nan's brother Edward spooner is one of the seven lads from Sydenham that died in the air crash as they was off on there holiday. It upsets me thinking what my family must have gone through at the time of this tragic accident. We still lay flowers and maintain the graves to this day. RIP lads your never forgotten.

Hi

i spent years looking for details of this crash, I knew 6 of the lads but was a close friend of Brennan Wilson (although thought it was Brandon?) and Ted, your grand uncle! I remember him as a tall guy, lanky was the term we used!

like many I was in shock that day and have never forgotten it! Sadly the world lost some good people that day but never forgotten!

Thom

[cruismad]

For over 50 yrs I have told myself to try to find my cousin and I believe you are her child. My father was her dad's brother his name was George. My name is Ann and I used to go to her house in HillVeiw as our school playing fields were opposite there home. Linda was younger than me by a few years and when I left school I did not see her but after the horrible accident I could not believe it and ever since I have asked the family but with no joy. I believe Linda went to live with her mothers family. I did hear she went to Australia so if this is the same lady would you let me know. If not then my apologies.

[rog747]

For over 50 yars I have told myself to try to find my cousin and I believe you are her child. My father was her dad's brother his name was George. My name is Ann and I used to go to her house in Hill View as our school playing fields were opposite there home. Linda was younger than me by a few years and when I left school I did not see her but after the horrible accident I could not believe it and ever since I have asked the family but with no joy. I believe Linda went to live with her mothers family. I did hear she went to Australia so if this is the same lady would you let me know. If not then my apologies.

Just for your assistance there is a full passenger name list in this thread above -

From your own posting I cannot seem to work out who the actual passenger (your relative) was...
Best of luck in your search. (Hillview School is in Tonbridge?)

This post may help - plus the one after - #29
https://www.pprune.org/aviation-history-nostalgia/304703-air-ferry-dc-4-crash-3-june-1967-a-2.html#post4147652

The memorial to those killed in this air crash, in Brookwood Cemetery, near Woking, at the furthest end of Eastern Avenue. It's next to the memorial for those killed in the Iberia 1967 air crash at Fernhurst, Sussex.
There are a number of Headstones re. the Perpignan crash, in S.E London in Hither Green Cemetery in the Borough of Lewisham, London. Contact them and they will give you the names of those who were buried in the cemetery, and that may give some leads to relatives.

The Air Ferry DC-4 crash that June night in the infamous mountains on approach to Perpignan seems sadly to have become a 'forgotten crash'
The next morning a BMA holiday flight on a similar type of airliner returning from Majorca crashed in Stockport on approach to Manchester.
This accident I think, unwittingly overshadowed the Air Ferry crash in France (near the village of Py) as it happened here at home, and then the investigation was surrounded by theories, to this day still commands an interest with new books, and a latest TV/DVD Documentary.

I feel accidents that happen abroad like the 1961 Derby Aviation DC-3 crash into the same Canigou mountainside en route to Perpignan from LGW due to a navigation error, killing all 34 aboard, the British Eagle Britannia at Innsbruck, Britannia Airways Britannia at Ljubljana, Air Ferry DC-4 Perpignan, Globe Air Britannia Nicosia, Dan Air Comet near Barcelona, Aviogenex TU-134A at Rijeka, and even the Iberia Caravelle crash in Sussex, all seem to get pretty much forgotten.
All, or most of these crash's occurred to package holiday flights where the victims were going as a family group, Mums & Dads, boyfriend & girlfriend, groups of lads or girls and many ironically were on a plane for the first time ever...

[22/04]

Add to those the Invicta Vanguard accident at Basle where many were with a WI from the same village IIRC.

[cruismad]

[QUOTE=ozsmac;9777693]Just adding my personal connection to this thread, Annie and Henry Smith were my Mothers parents, and from the stories I've heard would have been wonderful grandparents to my brother and I. Poor Mum lost them to this tragedy when she was 18, and this incident still leaves a very noticeable daily impact upon our family, and no doubt many others.

[rog747]

Add to those the Invicta Vanguard accident at Basle where many were with a WI from the same village IIRC.

Yes of course, the Basel Vanguard crash slipped my mind apologies....
Additionally one should add British European Airways Flight BE706 flying from Heathrow to Salzburg, Austria.
The flight was operated by a Vickers Vanguard, G-APEC. Many of the victims were British, including a couple of BEA girls on Staff Travel who my pal David knew from working at the WLAT.
Sadly, he also knew the two BEA girls going on holiday to Cyprus aboard ill-fated BEA Comet G-ARCO lost south of Rhodes.

[rog747]

[QUOTE=ozsmac;9777693]Just adding my personal connection to this thread, Annie and Henry Smith were my Mothers parents, and from the stories I've heard would have been wonderful grandparents to my brother and I.
Poor Mum lost them to this tragedy when she was 18, and this incident still leaves a very noticeable daily impact upon our family, and no doubt many others.

Thanks for you most kindly updating your Grandparents names - Annie & Henry Smith.
I'm very sorry to learn of your family's loss.

Now trying to find your extended family must be quite a trial too - is this the thread here your refer ?
https://www.pprune.org/9777693-post86.html
Poster - https://www.pprune.org/search.php?searchid=11080304

Are your Grandparents buried at Brookwood do you know?

[bean]

Rog all the flights quoted were controlled flights into terrain which was an endemic problem with British airlines.
Three more CFIT accidents
Winter hill Lancashire 1958, Silver City Bristol Freighter
Stavanger Norway 1961,Cunard Eagle Viking
Ventnor Isle of Wight 1962, Channel Airways 1962.
The accidents you quoted were both when the pilots were innocent victims of circumstances beyond their control

[blind pew]

Lost a viscount in the early 70s on an airtest out of glasgow to iirc.

[bean]

Forgot about that one.
last major CFIT accident was Dan-Air Tenerife 1980

[cruismad]

ROG747
I have read your mail and I reckon it is a bit pointless bothering you with my problem, I was hoping someone would see it who knew I was talking about but I will keep looking and it may happen. I knew it was a long shot.
Thanks again stay safe CRUISMAD

[mikecharles]

Hi. There is a report in the book "Last of the Pistons", search online. Also, on google you will find a transcript of the Enquiry written in French, plus photos of some parts still on the mountain near the village of Py, in the Pyrenees. The accident was deemed as caused by a faulty Janitrol hot air heater in the cockpit, probably rusted, and the crew were critically disorientated/intoxicated by the fumes thereby losing their way. Six of my friends from Hull lost their lives, two being buried in a mass grave at Brookwood Cemetery in Surrey. The flight had departed from Manston Airport.

[cruismad]

I read your message and I do appreciate what you are doing to help.
My Aunt and Uncle were both killed in this crash Air Ferry DC-4 in 1967. I remember the day my dad (Henry's brother} was given the message to the crash. It was Sunday I believe and we were all in the Kitchen when a knock at the door was whoever came to see Dad. Dad was in a terrible mess but time does heal a bit.
My mum said that they went to the funeral in a mass grave in Surrey and there was one tiny coffin among the rest.
As I said before I was trying to find out where my cousin is now. She used to live in Sunderland.

[22/04]

[QUOTE
Hi. There is a report in the book "Last of the Pistons", search online[/QUOTE]

Do you mean twilight of the pistons?

[bean]

Yes he does. Excellent book.
for the official report google baaa-acro.com G-APYK

[LGS6753]

If it's any slight consolation, I consider that the two accidents of the Air Ferry DC4 and British Midland C4 together forced the UK charter airlines to modernise their fleets and move to jet equipment. At the time, there was much press comment about "piston engined charter aircraft" and within 2/3 years most of the holiday airlines had ordered or introduced jets into their fleets. You often saw, in the late 60s/early 70s holiday brochures that emphasised jet travel.

[cruismad]

Hello Robb I have been trying to find out if my cousin is still living in Australia. She is called Linda but I do not know her surname as she was SMITH when I used to visit her home in Sunderland. I think that you know this lady and if so could you give me some thing to go on to try and make contact with her. I appreciate it was a long time since I saw her but I used to go to her home every week as we played hockey on the land opposite her home, and my Aunt who was Annie but we called her Nancy and uncle Henry were lovely people and my dad George now deceased was absolute uncontrollable we got the message. Any way if to you can help I would be most pleased for any help at all.
Thanking you in anticipation
Cruismad
Mrs Ann Rea

[cruismad]

Hello OZMAC I would love to find out if my cousin still lives in Australia I believe she moved there after the crash. I am not very good at Thread lark but I keep trying. I am Ann Rea nee Smith It was and Linda's dad was my uncle Henry. My aunt Annie who we called Nancy used to give me lunch once a week when I visited her house HAIG HOME, as our school playing field was opposite her house. Lovely people they were. It was devastating the day they told my dad.(George). If I am on the right track would you let me know if she is still living there as I presume she is. Stay safe
Cruismad.

[John63]

Yes, we were extremely lucky that peculiar circumstances prevented me from booking the holiday & paying the deposit - that would have sealed both the holiday and our certain deaths for sure! I also recall the Stockport crash that occurred just hours after the Perpignan one, and that one sort of overshadowed the Perpignan press reports because it happened here in the UK.

It's a shame I wasn't so lucky in my above long post about the two holidays, because as the volume of typing I had to do was so long I first completed it as an MS Word document which was grammatically perfect. I then just highlighted, copied & pasted it into the forum input field but I see that in the pasted copy a considerable number of words have become attached to each other. Thank God I've input direct within this post.

Does any member of this thread have a copy of one of the Lyons Tours 1966/67 brochures that they could scan the page that advertised Hotel Acapulco in Calella and email me a jpeg photo?

I have a copy of the brochure published by Lyons Tours Limited of Colne in 1966, which does include an entry for the Hotel Acapulco in Calella. As a new member I’m not able to post scans on this thread but will do do when I am able to.

[cruismad]

ROG747 I know that these people Henry and Annie were my Aunt and Uncle and I am still trying to get in touch with there daughter Linda Can you help?

[rog747]

ROG747 I know that these people Henry and Annie were my Aunt and Uncle and I am still trying to get in touch with there daughter Linda
Can you help?

Hi there Ann, How nice of you to think of me, But I am now stuck really as to where to point you in the first instance, except maybe use the powers of Facebook to try and find Linda in Australia - A start would be to see if you can find out what city she first moved to, and also if there any records of her emigration & immigration from the UK in to OZ that can be sourced and work on from there. Those records should be kept.
How did Linda get to Oz? - was she a £10 POM (using as many did the Government assisted passage)
Did Linda go by sea or by air?
All of those records should be able to be obtained but I am not sure of how to begin. Try Somerset House and Australia House in London?
see links here -
https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Australia_Emigration_and_Immigration
https://search.findmypast.com/search-world-records/australia-inward-outward-and-coastal-passenger-lists-1826-1972
Ten Pound Poms (http://www.pandosnco.co.uk/ten_pound_poms.html)
https://www.nla.gov.au/research-guides/finding-ship-and-passenger-records
https://www.naa.gov.au/help-your-research/ask-us-about-collection

All I know re your close Relatives Henry and Ann Smith who died in the crash are as you know too, buried in the Accident grave at the Brookwood Cemetery near Woking.
see links here -
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/175816747/1967_air-disaster_perpignan-memorial
https://www.flickr.com/photos/12608538@N03/30919673467/

Lastly, and most definitely worth contacting, is ITV's Long Lost Family.
I possibly think that your sad, but also interesting story may just be something they could help you with.
The facts are that this terrible air crash happened around just 10 hours before another tragic holiday air crash occurred at Stockport (BMA Argonaut from Majorca to Manchester that killed 72) and that June Sunday in 1967 I can remember so well as such a black and awful time.
If the Producers realise their help can provide you with such closure then go for it.
Apply here -
https://www.walltowall.co.uk/casting/long-lost-family_3.aspx

If I can help further then please do PM me and maybe we could chat on the phone...I have just sent you a PM here on Pprune messages

Best Wishes and good luck.

emails to use -
[email protected]

[email protected]

[rog747]

Just adding my personal connection to this thread, Annie and Henry Smith were my Mothers parents, and from the stories I've heard would have been wonderful grandparents to my brother and I. Poor Mum lost them to this tragedy when she was 18, and this incident still leaves a very noticeable daily impact upon our family, and no doubt many others.


Hi OZMAC - it seems a lady on here (a relative of yours here in the UK) Mrs ANN RAE nee SMITH is trying to find who we think is your Mum Linda - Can you touch base with her please?
She is posting on here as Cruismad https://www.pprune.org/11054048-post112.html

[rog747]

hi there - i live in Australia and have recently come across a lady who lost both parents and her husbands parents in the air ferry crash - june 3, 1967, Mt Canigou i am actually meeting her tonight! can you give me any idea at all where the memorial site for this crash may be. she has been trying to find out and i have spent hours on the internet and making calls to france but nobody seems to know. where did you find the other info on pprune?
hope you can help
thanks
robbie

Hi Robbie - it seems a lady on here - Mrs ANN RAE nee SMITH is trying to find who we think is your friend you mention who lost her parents and uncle and aunt - Linda (was Smith) who is Ann's Cousin here in the UK -

Can you touch base with her please? She is posting on here as Cruismad https://www.pprune.org/11054048-post112.html

I found you on FaceBook and sent you a PM on there....Thanks - would be great if we can make this all work for Ann and Linda etc.

[cruismad]

Hi Roger
Thanks again for trying to help me. You have given me a few ideas. Linda went to Australia after her mum and dad were killed. and I had gone to London to live but for a long time to time it would come back into my mind but I did not really try to find her. I asked my mum if she knew where Linda was but she did not know. The last time she saw her she had moved to Yorkshire, but she had heard that Linda had gone to Australia and she thought it was Melbourne that she went to but as it was so far away we just hoped she was happy as she deserved some happiness. But now we are getting older I would like to hear from her.
As I said thanks for the help and time.
Ann Rea cruismad

[rog747]

Hi Roger
Thanks again for trying to help me. You have given me a few ideas. Linda went to Australia after her mum and dad were killed. and I had gone to London to live but for a long time to time it would come back into my mind but I did not really try to find her. I asked my mum if she knew where Linda was but she did not know. The last time she saw her she had moved to Yorkshire, but she had heard that Linda had gone to Australia and she thought it was Melbourne that she went to but as it was so far away we just hoped she was happy as she deserved some happiness. But now we are getting older I would like to hear from her.
As I said thanks for the help and time.
Ann Rea cruismad


Well - maybe we will get some good responses back from the messages I sent to Ozsmac and Robbie Arrieula both of whom certainly seem to know Linda in oz.

Please read your private messages :)

[Mumofboys]

Hello, this is my first time on here and so glad I found it while doing some research on the crash and wanted to share my story or my mums really! My mum and dad got married October 1966, she was 20 and my dad 22 and all set to celebrate their 56th anniversary this year! Anyway she was 6months pregnant with my brother when she got the devastating news that her beloved dad and brother, her step mum and half sister all died in the crash! I've always known they died in a plane crash but never really asked to many questions as she still finds it hard to talk about, because of this she along with my dad have never flown in their lives and she absolutely hates it when me or my sister goes on holiday, first thing I do when I get off plane either going or coming home is to send a text to say I've landed im 50 and my sister's 52!! I don't know why but just this week I've wanted to find out more details about it and was surprised to find everything I needed within a couple of days hence how I found this group. Reading through these comments i !earned about the memorial in london? And the mass grave, you see I never knew about that as my mums family were all brought home to devon and buried at a local church, David (mums brother) has his own grave and her dad, step mum and sister are all buried together next to david, I've always known they were there but havnt been up there since we buried my nan over 20 years ago, (mums mum and David's mum) so because I wanted more answers i dragged my sister with me to go see the graves to see if we could get more info from them and put some flowers on all the graves. And was really pleased to see they had the date of the crash and where it crashed written on their headstones so now I'm just looking up anything on it. Sorry if this goes on a bit but it was so nice reading about other people's experience of the crash, and would love to know if anyone knew them?
james Andrew Nicholas
Rita Nicholas
David Nicholas age 11
Sarah Jane Nicholas age 2

[rog747]

Just adding my personal connection to this thread, Annie and Henry Smith were my Mothers parents, and from the stories I've heard would have been wonderful grandparents to my brother and I. Poor Mum lost them to this tragedy when she was 18, and this incident still leaves a very noticeable daily impact upon our family, and no doubt many others.



hi & sorry to bother you, are you the son of Linda Smith?
her parents were sadly killed in 1967 in this plane crash in France - her cousin Ann Smith (now Rae) here in Sunderland UK is trying to find her - pls get in touch if so, many thanks roger

[rog747]

Hi Roger
Thanks again for trying to help me. You have given me a few ideas. Linda went to Australia after her mum and dad were killed. and I had gone to London to live but for a long time to time it would come back into my mind but I did not really try to find her. I asked my mum if she knew where Linda was but she did not know. The last time she saw her she had moved to Yorkshire, but she had heard that Linda had gone to Australia and she thought it was Melbourne that she went to but as it was so far away we just hoped she was happy as she deserved some happiness. But now we are getting older I would like to hear from her.
As I said thanks for the help and time.
Ann Rea cruismad

Ann -
from what I can gather now OZSMAC is likely to be Linda's son living in Melbourne - I think his name could be Sxxxx Mxxxxxxxx
he also posts on here as you know, and on twitter and tripadvisor there is also an ozsmac

There are a few names living in MELB on Facebook too - its worth sending some DM's... Best Rog.

Or as I said get in touch with ITV Long Lost Family
They could be very helpful and this crash has been forgotten for too long....

[rog747]

Hello, this is my first time on here and so glad I found it while doing some research on the crash and wanted to share my story or my mums really! My mum and dad got married October 1966, she was 20 and my dad 22 and all set to celebrate their 56th anniversary this year! Anyway she was 6months pregnant with my brother when she got the devastating news that her beloved dad and brother, her step mum and half sister all died in the crash! I've always known they died in a plane crash but never really asked to many questions as she still finds it hard to talk about, because of this she along with my dad have never flown in their lives and she absolutely hates it when me or my sister goes on holiday, first thing I do when I get off plane either going or coming home is to send a text to say I've landed im 50 and my sister's 52!! I don't know why but just this week I've wanted to find out more details about it and was surprised to find everything I needed within a couple of days hence how I found this group. Reading through these comments i !earned about the memorial in London? And the mass grave, you see I never knew about that as my mums family were all brought home to Devon and buried at a local church, David (mums brother) has his own grave and her dad, step mum and sister are all buried together next to David, I've always known they were there but haven't been up there since we buried my nan over 20 years ago, (mums mum and David's mum) so because I wanted more answers i dragged my sister with me to go see the graves to see if we could get more info from them and put some flowers on all the graves. And was really pleased to see they had the date of the crash and where it crashed written on their headstones so now I'm just looking up anything on it. Sorry if this goes on a bit but it was so nice reading about other people's experience of the crash, and would love to know if anyone knew them?
James Andrew Nicholas
Rita Nicholas
David Nicholas age 11
Sarah Jane Nicholas age 2

So pleased you found this thread and can give you some more info and a little comfort -

The Air Ferry Crash in 1967 is a bit of a forgotten air disaster as The Stockport Crash the very next morning has always unwittingly overshadowed the Perpignan crash.
Obviously no one's fault that occurred as Stockport was so vivid in our news on TV and in the papers for that weekend and for some time afterwards.
That crash gained a memorial in recent years (50th 2017 I recall) pushed though by the late aviation crash author Stephen Morrin who sadly died last year.
No such memorial afaik was done for Air Ferry (except the mass grave at Brookwood Cemetery near Woking)

I wrote in 2017 to the Marie of the French village of Py (near the crash site at Mt. Canigou) and she of course knew of the crash, but they had no plans for a 50th memorium unless any relatives wanted it and then she would gladly oblige and offer all assistance.

If you need anymore info then do post back here, or PM me is fine.

[rog747]

Yes, we were extremely lucky that peculiar circumstances prevented me from booking the holiday & paying the deposit - that would have sealed both the holiday and our certain deaths for sure! I also recall the Stockport crash that occurred just hours after the Perpignan one, and that one sort of overshadowed the Perpignan press reports because it happened here in the UK.

It's a shame I wasn't so lucky in my above long post about the two holidays, because as the volume of typing I had to do was so long I first completed it as an MS Word document which was grammatically perfect. I then just highlighted, copied & pasted it into the forum input field but I see that in the pasted copy a considerable number of words have become attached to each other. Thank God I've input direct within this post.

Does any member of this thread have a copy of one of the Lyons Tours 1966/67 brochures that they could scan the page that advertised Hotel Acapulco in Calella and email me a jpeg photo?

Found you an old postcard photo of the Hotel Acapulco in Calella de Mar
The hotel is long gone now - this Hotel was one of those the holidaymakers were due to stay at from the Air Ferry flight.
Also shown is the Hotel Guillem in Malgrat de Mar, also used by Lyons and Everyman's - I stayed there in 1964 - my first holiday abroad.

In the 1960's onwards the Costa Brava resorts and hotels of Calella, Tossa de Mar, Lloret de Mar, Pineda, Malgrat, Playa D'aro, San Felui and Blanes all were really popular with the new booming holiday market and the Costa Brava then was No.1 choice as it was the nearest and the cheapest.
Majorca was the next obvious choice for Brits, and then Benidorm.
(But you still then had to fly to Valencia as ALC airport was not yet open and so you had to suffer a 3-4 hour hot and slow coach ride along the old windy coast road from VLC to Benidorm)
Torremolinos was more expensive and hotels were of a higher quality (fly to Malaga)
Lido di Jesolo in Italy (you often though had to fly to Ljubljana until Venice was used) and the Adriatic resorts near Rimini were also extremely popular.


Package Holidays sold out to Brits, Germans and Scandinavians from around £30 Guineas upwards for 15 days Full Board. (no one really went only for a week back then and many flights were fortnightly)
It was slightly cheaper to go for 11 or 12 days if the Tour firm offered it.
Just after each Xmas or New Year, the companies new Brochures for the next summer would come out and so they opened on a Sunday and folk would queue around the block to be sure of getting their 2 weeks booking in the sun.

Lyons Tours of Colne (The Air Ferry crash charterer) were a low budget firm, they sold very cheap foreign holidays, and their hotels were usually 1 or 2 stars.
They did a lot from Southend with Channel Airways on their Viscounts to Ostend, Austria, (both for coach tours) and to Spain and Majorca.

Charter flights to the Costa Brava to begin with during the early years mainly flew into PGP Perpignan and so coaches then took the holidaymakers over the Border to the Costa Brava.
Why>? I cannot recall - maybe something to do with airport tax or even Franco pops in my mind.
Barcelona was also then used more so, and thus PGP was dropped.
BEA Vanguards and British Eagle Britannia's flew lots of passengers from London Airport on the BCN route, then Gerona was added once it had opened.
Gerona was not yet open until later in the 60's.
Britannia Airways with their Britannia's were one of the first to fly to Gerona from Luton.
Many of the very first Jet package holiday flights were in 1966 with Lunn Poly/Everyman on British Eagle BAC 1-11's
BUA also had used their new 1-11 200's on IT's from the start in summer 1965,
and in 1967 both Channel Airways and Laker Airways got their first BAC 1-11's
Autair a year later in 1968 would also get the BAC 1-11.
In 1968 saw Channel Airways acquire their first 2 Trident's of a 5 aircraft order, but would subsequently only take delivery of the first 2, and BKS would take 2 of these Tridents.
Britannia Airways was the first airline in Europe to order, and to take delivery in summer 1968 of the first Boeing 737-200.




https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/500x326/s_l500_2c0bc37722f39959bcf7ce150f66f80a16693e87.jpg

Hotel Acapulco Calella de Mar



https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/720x501/48949365_444b5e93ad3e1d7cd732dae89277c3b6357192da.jpg

Hotel Guillem Malgrat de Mar - my first holiday abroad in 1964 with Lunn Poly Everyman

[WHBM]

Charter flights to the Costa Brava to begin with during the early years mainly flew into PGP Perpignan and so coaches then took the holidaymakers over the Border to the Costa Brava.
Why>? I cannot recall - maybe something to do with airport tax or even Franco pops in my mind.
Barcelona was also then used more so, and thus PGP was dropped.
BEA Vanguards and British Eagle Britannia's flew lots of passengers from London Airport on the BCN route, then Gerona was added once it had opened.
Gerona was not yet open until later in the 60's
You pretty much have it. Gerona was only built once tourism started to get going there, at the Spanish beaches nearest to the border. Barcelona was a way beyond, the airport is the wrong side of the city, and there were no motorways. Also in Spain Iberia had the ground handling monopoly for a long time (applied to Gerona too), so was more expensive to use compared to Perpignan. Some even cheaper holidays flew from Southend to Ostend, thence coach down to Spain - there was a considerable coach supply business in Ostend.

I think the very first jet holiday charter was for Harry Chandler's Travel Club from Upminster, on a BUA One-Eleven from Gatwick to Corsica. April 1965 or thereabouts, on a brand-new aircraft. The One-Eleven deliveries had been delayed (inevitably), so likely the first departures of the jet season in the brochure had to be done on Viscounts.

[rog747]

You pretty much have it. Gerona was only built once tourism started to get going there, at the Spanish beaches nearest to the border. Barcelona was a way beyond, the airport is the wrong side of the city, and there were no motorways. Also in Spain Iberia had the ground handling monopoly for a long time (applied to Gerona too), so was more expensive to use compared to Perpignan. Some even cheaper holidays flew from Southend to Ostend, thence coach down to Spain - there was a considerable coach supply business in Ostend.
I think the very first jet holiday charter was for Harry Chandler's Travel Club from Upminster, on a BUA One-Eleven from Gatwick to Corsica. April 1965 or thereabouts, on a brand-new aircraft. The One-Eleven deliveries had been delayed (inevitably), so likely the first departures of the jet season in the brochure had to be done on Viscounts.

Hi there - Yes Harry Chandler's Travel Club Upminster that flew the FIRST jet charters for package holidays, but he used Air France Caravelles from London Airport to Corsica.
The aircraft had weekend downtime so he approached AF and he got the contract. 1962 rings a bell>?
I think he also used them for PGP (for Costa Brava, and for Nice for the French Riviera)
Peter Bath (Palmair) was the first to use BUA's new 1-11's in 1965 from Bournemouth to Palma.

Re - Air Ferry and Lyons Tours of Colne - sadly Lyons Tours suffered another air crash in 1963 - again in the Pyrenees on APP to PGP.
40 killed - the flight was from LGW on a Viking of Airnautic.
The Viking crashed into the north face of the Pic de la Roquette in the Pyrenees.
1963 crash (https://www.john-clarke.co.uk/perpignan.html)

In 1961 G-AMSW DC-3 of Derby Airways (BMA) flying from LGW to PGP also crashed into Mont Canigou, 34 killed.
The aircraft was coming from Gatwick, and after reporting over Toulouse at about 0030 hours GMT it headed directly for Perpignan, France, at flight level 075. It was expected over the aerodrome at about 0112, and it was seen shortly before 0100 by various witnesses in the Prades area, during intermittent rain and winds of variable force. It struck the mountain side in level flight in the Canigou Massif at about 0100 hours. The wreckage, located at an elevation of 2200m at 1350 hours on the same day by a Search and Rescue Constellation, was destroyed by the impact and by fire. There were no survivors. Three crew and 31 passengers were aboard the flight.
Probable cause: The accident was attributed to a navigational error, the origin of which it was not possible to determine for lack of sufficient evidence.

It was no holiday - Lyons Tours obituary of the founder (https://travelweekly.co.uk/news/tour-operators/obituary-it-was-no-holiday-the-life-and-times-of-package-travel-trailblazer-jim-preston?fbclid=IwAR3HkDO0MJ0jkJdmZZDFOYGkmUZ5I9nYboMPx1LjRot RQXDWeB56enoOYzI)


An old advert - but Heathrow is mentioned.....
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/948x1390/1964_go_magazine_advertisement_for_holidays_with_the_travel_ club_of_ax9p0p_c5cfdf56c80e463c400384c8939858c38bd64f55.jpg

[rog747]

Great news - I found Ann's cousins in Melbourne and they will all be getting back in touch soon.(after 55 years since the crash)

[ozsmac]

Great news - I found Ann's cousins in Melbourne and they will all be getting back in touch soon.(after 55 years since the crash)

Bless you rog747 I had lost this thread and never saw the various messages, really appreciate you going above and beyond to help connect some long separated souls.

[rog747]

Bless you rog747 I had lost this thread and never saw the various messages, really appreciate you going above and beyond to help connect some long separated souls.

So happy for you all, and wish your Mum Linda and Cousin Ann a very happy reunion one day....The power of the Internet Forums like this one, and Facebook - You don't have to be Agatha Christie's Poirot LOL

As mentioned do feel free to contact me if you want to know more about Air Ferry, and the crash site Etc.

No memorial AFAIK was ever done for Air Ferry crash (except the mass grave at Brookwood Cemetery near Woking)
There maybe a marker at the site.
I wrote in 2017 to the Marie (local Mayor) of the French village of Py (near the crash site at Mt. Canigou) and she of course knew of the crash, but they had no plans for a 50th memorial event unless any relatives wanted it and then she would gladly oblige and offer all assistance.

Best R.