G Bbie

[Sheepy]

I wonder if anyone can help with a conundrum.

A friend of mine was out walking recently (well some people do that sort of thing you know). On this particular day she found herself on Dundry Hill in Somerset.

She saw an old dilapidated aeroplane in a nettle patch near some farm buildings. The planes registration was G BBIE which was registered to a PA28-140 and according to the records I've been able to access ran out of fuel en route on Januray 4th 1976 and crashed in the sea near Clacton; sadly killing all 4 on board.

If anyone knows the story on how the old fuselage comes to be halfway up a hill in Somerset I and my friend would be very pleased to hear.

Thx

[Flap40]

Searching for G-BBIE brings up a blog which I suspect belongs to your friend which also gives a link to the aircraft on Google earth and a couple of pictures.

The outline on Google earth looks very like a Rockwell 112/114 as does the interior shot (it is 17 years since I last flew one so I could be wrong).

The only one that I can find with a similar reg' is G-DDIG which was written off at Fearn a few years ago.

Maybe someone repainted the reg' to 'divert' spotters.

[jabberwok]

Agree with Flap40 - that rivetting is unmistakably Rockwell. Not so the plate above the registration - it looks like a hole was cut and a plate crudely put back on..

The only Commander with a similar registration is G-BDIE but that is still airworthy (on the G-INFO site).

[Yak11Fan]

This may help?

Aviation Forums for pilots - from FLYER Magazine (http://forums.flyer.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=5855&view=previous&sid=d437c6c48edef0bc4c276c8fc9be8aa6)

[Sheepy]

Conundrum solved!!
Thanks for all your help.
My friend also sends her thanks for all your input with a special thanks to Yak11Fan

[olympus]

Bit of thread drift here...

In 1975 I logged 14 flights in G-BBIE, all from/to Biggin Hill. I recall it was a quite nicely-equipped PA28.