1967 crash site Iberia Caravelle

[Rainboe]

Further to this thread, I have recently paid a visit to inspect the crash site of a CFIT altimeter misreading incident http://www.pprune.org/tech-log/147356-cfit-altimetry-interpretation.html#post1551585

Locating the site was fairly easy, although it is remote on high terrain (for the south of England).

I was dismayed how forgotten the incident has been. The details of the fatalities are here (http://www.fernhurstsociety.org.uk/caravelle.html) along with further information and location map.

I thought that it was usual to place a memorial at such sites, but there is nothing, and access is barred to the road on the left, although the location of the initial ground contact can be clearly inspected.

I left feeling that nearly 40 international passengers of the plane had died, and their final moment had passed into history. In another generation when the map has disappeared from the net, the event will be totally forgotten and disregarded. What a sad passing of a bit of history!

[goudie]

It says on the website that there is a memorial stone in Brookwood Cemetery, Surrey.

[Planemike]

I notice that among the victims was "Donald Campbell of the Campbell Aircraft Company." Any details on this gentleman and Campbell Aircraft please ??

Planemike

[forget]

Company, half way down.

The Helicopter Museum, the World's Largest Dedicated Helicopter Museum. (http://www.helicoptermuseum.co.uk/british.htm)

Donald Campbell.

http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1967/1967%20-%202151.html

[Rainboe]

There is a brookwoodcemetery.com website, and absolutely no mention is made of this memorial. I don't understand why it is at Brookwood, it's about 20 miles from the crash site which is located just to the east of Fernhurst. Maybe there is a mass grave of the victims which could only be in Brookwood, but I haven't been able to find any information on it in the cemetery website.

[HZ123]

Time for us threaders to start the ball rolling then. It seems a tragic oversight that nothing mourns these poor souls passing?

[Rainboe]

I shall try and visit the cemetery next week to chase up the memorial. I do find it sad how it was washed away as if it had never happened when relatively small crashes into moors can get memorials and far more to remember them by. It would be interesting learning more about what is practice these days in regard to this. Apart from that one policeman's drawing, there would have been no way to locate this accident, and if the website was lost or removed it, then it would be forgotten.

[T-21]

Rainboe, thanks for the posting . Iberia also had another Caravelle CFIT. ASN Aircraft accident Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle VIR EC-ATV Sierra de Atalayasa (http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19720107-1) Thanks to Aviation Safety Net

[BOAC]

That's one BIG altimeter error!

[Planemike]

Yes, of course, Campbell Aircraft also built a number of Campbell Cricket gyrocopters at Membury.

Planemike

[philbky]

A memorial does exist see:

Air Crash Fernhurst ( - 1967) - Find A Grave Memorial (http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=8231843)

June Thorburn was a well known actress at the time.

It would seem that 19 of the dead are buried there, the rest presumably nearer their homes.

[tonker]

Various bits and bobs of a crash i never knew existed in an area i walked frequently.

Fernhurst Blackdown air crash (http://www.fernhurstsociety.org.uk/caravelle.html)

http://cache.gettyimages.com/xc/3265815.jpg?v=1&c=ViewImages&k=2&d=10276273D480F6D8836B6B49F5E51018A55A1E4F32AD3138

June Thorburn who was one of the passengers.

[Rainboe]

Thanks for the information everybody! Most interesting. I shall try and visit the cemetery next week. It's amazing what you can achieve with Google and Live Maps (http://local.live.com)! Research is so easy now.

Now that Aquila Airways Sunderland that crashed at Chessel Isle of Wight in 1957? Indeed this very forum has information: http://www.pprune.org/aviation-history-nostalgia/300900-aquila-airways-g-aknu.html

[Claresholm57]

I have just joined PPrune, albeit that I have looked at it quite often, because I am trying to raise funds to place a simple memorial at the crash site. I have got permission from the owner of the land and also got a correct passenger list. The estimated cost is about £2,500 and I am just launching an appeal through the local paper (Haslemere Herald) and writing to local businesses and organisations, and also the Spanish Ambassador (Iberia have declined to contribute). I am also putting a Spanish text appeal on the Spanish PPrune site.

My reason in doing this is that I believe it quite wrong that there is no memorial for such a major accident. I have lived in the area for 39 years, have lived in Spain and have a Spanish daughter in law and i was a National Service RAF pilot.

If anyone wants to contribute, or has a useful suggestion, please email me.