June 4th 2017 will be 50th anniversary of the Stockport Air Disaster

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

There's a great Facebook page on it (not public, so you need to be invited to join). I remember it only too well, seeing that great tail section with BM on it towering above Hopes Carr right in the centre of Stockport, and the remains of the cockpit on the garage on the other side of that tiny piece of open ground the Argonaught came down in.

The rest of the aeroplane, bar some wing parts and the engines, was consumed in the post crash fire that killed many of the passengers who had survived the crash, albeit badly injured.

The Stepehn Morrin Book 'The Day the Sky Fell In' is worth a read if you can find a copy (£50 on eBay!). Stephen is preparing a second, bigger, book and working on a TV documentary for the anniversary year.

[chevvron]

At Lindholme in 1973, I worked with the controller who was doing the talkdown at the time.
He said he saw it deviating from the centreline and glidepath but it did not respond to his instructions to regain them.
On a TV reconstruction, I think he said they used his voice, but his part had to be played by an actor as not surprisingly, he wasn't a member of Equity.

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

I'm hoping to get a DVD of the ATC recordings. The radar trace shows an undeviating track from CON (Congleton) to LH base for 24 at MAN, but after turning base the aeroplane turned further left (perhaps when No.4 failed) and was well south of the centreline, from where it went around (in IMC), was vectored north to a RH downwind position to re-position on the ILS from the north, which it did, but such was the sustained height loss with 2 engines out on one side (one windmilling) that it crashed shortly afterwards several miles short of the runway.

The controller was not aware there was a problem until after the go-around.

[chevvron]

was vectored north to a RH downwind position to re-position on the ILS from the north,.

The controller was not aware there was a problem until after the go-around.
PAR not ILS.( According to what I was told)

[lotus1]

IT will also be the 50 anniversary of the tragic air ferry dc4 accident which happend the day before this tragedy just shows how time passes all RIP

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

PAR not ILS.

Negative, chevvron. ILS (as I said!) not PAR.

Hotel Golf was asked by the Controller "are you receiving the localiser?" when he saw they were well south of the centreline. I understand in fact the PAR was out of action at the time, as well.

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

Some relatives at first thought news of the Stockport tragedy was mistaken and that the media were confused by the Air Ferry DC4 crash the day before.

[Midland 331]

As I may have posted before, my late uncle was a "flying spanner" on the fleet, and our family heard of the accident when on holiday. My dad had to make a tense phone call.

The airline was a tight-knit community back then, and several of my family worked for them. It's hard to convey the impact it had on the employees and dependents.

[chevvron]

Negative, chevvron. ILS (as I said!) not PAR.

Hotel Golf was asked by the Controller "are you receiving the localiser?" when he saw they were well south of the centreline. I understand in fact the PAR was out of action at the time, as well.
I won't quote his name here of course but I definitely got the impression from what he said that he was doing a PAR. I must assume he was just vectoring for the ILS instead.

[spekesoftly]

https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19670604-0

From the above report, both the Approach Radar and PAR Controllers were involved. Approach was vectoring the aircraft for the ILS, but evidently PAR was also monitoring the aircraft.

At 09:07:35 the pilot-in-command requested his position and was told 7,5 miles to run to touchdown. Half a minute later the controller repeated that he had no radar contact, and cleared the flight for landing, the surface wind being 270°/12 kt.

At this stage the PAR controller, who had overheard that the Approach controller had lost radar contact, saw a contact at the bottom of his elevation display, and told the flight that it was 6 miles from touchdown.

[rog747]

i hear there is a new book and a TV documentary called six miles from home

and i gather some memorial services at stockport will take place
i think a new names plaque has been added too

also on the same day is the air ferry DC4 crash anniversary - another holiday flight from UK that went down near the village of PY on Mt Canigou Pyrenees on night app to PGP
anyone wishing to find out about events for this - there is an air ferry crash thread on here


i recall the weekend 50 years ago very well waking up to the news of 2 Holiday tours 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

[Midland 331]

Emotional documentary will mark 50th anniversary of the Stockport Air Disaster - Manchester Evening News (http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/emotional-documentary-mark-50th-anniversary-12698628)

My late-uncle flew on them and maintained them, and always reminded us when we mentioned it that the fuel transfer issue was well-known, but ready to trap the unwary/over-worked/fatigued.

[Midland 331]

Inadvertent fuel transfer in flight due to poor design.

My late uncle, Dick Chester, was a "flying spanner" on the fleet, and the issue was well-known, but a large hole in The Swiss Cheese.

There's plenty on the 'net about it.