First Scheduled Passenger Service / Accident Fatalities?

[denis555]

Hello all,

Can someone answer this question?

Is it true that the first scheduled passenger service by fixed wing aircraft was from Cricklewood to Paris in 1919 operated by Handley Page Aviation.

Also that the same service had the first scheduled fixed wing service accident with fatalities in early 1920 - at Cricklewood aerodrome?

Thanks for letting me pick your brains on this one - it was a question raised in a school quiz... thank goodness it was multiple choice!

Denis

[DeepestSouth]

Depends what you mean by scheduled...! Stand by for some sad geekery!

According to the Guiness Book of Air Facts and Feats (1977):

The first scheduled airline using aeroplanes was the Benoist Company airline which started operations in Jnuary 1914 to/from St Petersburg and Tampa, Florida. The aircraft was a Benoist flying boat piloted by A Jannus but the operation only lasted for 4 months.

The first sustained (but not daily) scheduled international flights were the Farman brothers Paris/Brussels service started on 22 March 1919, pilot Lucien Bossoutrot and fare 365 francs for the 2 hr 50 minute flight.

The first regular civil air service in England was started by A V Roe and Co on 10 May 1919 using 3-seater Avros between Manchester, Southport and Blackpool, but the service ended on 30 Sep 1919 after 194 scheduled flights. A one-way ticket was 4 guineas.

The first daily scheduled international flight anywhere in the world was London-Paris on 23 Aug 1919 in a DH 16 flown by Cyril Patteson of Aircraft Transport and Travel Ltd, from Hounslow to Le Bourget with 4 pax. £21 for the one-way crossing (that's nearly £800 in today's money!) which took 2 and a half hours.

First fatal accident on a scheduled British commercial flight was on 14 Dec 1920 when an HP 0/400 crashed soon after take off, in fog, at Cricklewood, killing the pilot (R Bager), his engineer and 2 passengers, Four other passengers survived.

[henry crun]

Quote from All Weather Mac by R.H.Mcintosh.

"The first service from London to Paris was flown on August 25, 1919, in a DH4A by Lieutenant E.H. (Bill) Lawford who left Hounslow at 9.10 am carrying one passenger and a small load of freight.
He landed at Le Bourget just two and a half hours later in spite of pretty grim weather conditions. This flight was the first scheduled commercial flight anywhere in the world.
Later the same day he was followed in a DH16 piloted by Major Cyril Patterson, and thereafter a regular London to Paris service was maintained."

This flight was run by Aircraft Transport and Travel Ltd, A.T.& T, the first British registered airline company, who were formed in October 1916.

The second British airline to come into being was was Handley Page Transport, registered on June 14, 1919.
Mac was a pilot with this latter company from September 1919 at Cricklewood.
Initially Hounslow was the only airfield that had Customs for outbound aircraft, so until March 1920 they had to fly empty Cricklewod-Hounslow to pick up their passengers.

He mentions an accident to a 0/400 on takeoff at Cricklewood on Dec 14 1920 which killed the pilot, engineer, and two passengers.
The way I read the story is that it implies this was the first fatal accident, but does not say that speciifically.

[denis555]

Seems like the school were correct about the first scheduled aircraft accident but not correct regarding the first scheduled service - IIRC he other choices were Hounslow and Heston. Thanks for the information.

[Groundloop]

This flight was the first scheduled commercial flight anywhere in the world.

As mentioned above, this is obviously incorrect. The first heavier-than-air service was by the "St Petersburg - Tampa Airboat Line" using a Beonist flying boat as described by DeepestSouth. If lighter-than-air is considered Zeppelin began services in Germany in 1908.

[IslandPilot]

The first fatal accident to a occur on a British scheduled service occured on 11 December 1919 to an Airco DH4A operated by the UK's first international airline, Aircraft Transport & Travel Ltd. The pilot, Lieut. Bradley, inbound to Hounslow on the regular service from Paris in the Airco 4A G-EAHF, crashed on approach to Kenley aerodrome while attempting to land in misty conditions. Bradley had been unable to clear the cloud covered North Downs, and was observed flying at an estimated height of only 80 feet agl. Visibility at the time was estimated at just 120 yards and Bradley was attempting a precautionary landing at Kenley when the aircraft struck the top of a tree on Coulsdon Common about mile from the aerodrome. The crash killed the only passenger onboard the aircraft, an American Banker, Mr George F. Rand, who was returning to London following a meeting with the French Premier, M. Clemanceau. Lieut. Bradley succumbed to his injuries the following day. These were the first fatalities to occur on a British scheduled service. The Airco 4A, G-EAHF, had flown only 107 hours since entering service, and Lieut. Bradley, a popular and experienced pilot with over 1000 hours flying experience, had only recently joined A.T.&T, and had completed three return flights between London and Paris prior to the crash. The official Report into the accident published by the Air Ministry nine days later found that:

“The accident was due to the starboard planes of the machine striking a tree, which the pilot had failed to observe while manoeuvring to land in misty weather.”

The Report also pointed out that the accident underlined the dangers of flying in bad weather, stating that the knowledge and experience of the pilot was not always sufficient to guarantee the safety of a flight made in poor weather conditions. It also recommended that a system of air/ground radio communications should be set up to provide up-to-date meteorological information for the landing grounds along the route. At the inquest into the death of the passenger Mr.Rand, the solicitor representing A.T.&T. pointed out that had the facilities promised by the Air Ministry at the Penshurst emergency landing ground been available, Lieut. Bradley could have elected to land there instead of continuing on towards the mist covered Kenley Aerodrome with fatal consequences.

[Warmtoast]

As reported in the press at the time.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r231/thawes/Image1a-1.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r231/thawes/Image1-9.jpg

Interestingly, whilst browsing in the newspaper library, newspapers seemed to be full of articles about the development of the fledgling London and Paris air service as the following cuttings show.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r231/thawes/Dec5th1919.jpg

The article above appeared a week before the Caterham crash.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r231/thawes/22ndJan1920.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r231/thawes/Image3-6.jpg

And below the first mention (in March 1920) of London - Paris services transferring to Waddon (Croydon).

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r231/thawes/FirstUseofNewCroydonAirTerminal.jpg