Go Back  PPRuNe Forums > Misc. Forums > Aviation History and Nostalgia
Reload this Page >

Can anyone remember this accident?

Aviation History and Nostalgia Whether working in aviation, retired, wannabee or just plain fascinated this forum welcomes all with a love of flight.

Can anyone remember this accident?

Old 2nd Oct 2020, 13:53
  #21 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: The wild west of France
Posts: 0
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
John Cunningham was at the controls of G-BCUX on 20 November 1975.
fauteuil volant is offline  
Old 2nd Oct 2020, 14:26
  #22 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: There and here
Posts: 2,856
Received 24 Likes on 17 Posts
Even in that accident it would be reasonable to describe the 125 as a "tough bird". The aircraft remained substantially intact after overrunning the runway, crossing a ditch which tore the gear off and hitting a passing car and some concrete posts before coming to rest.

All 9 occupants escaped, 8 without any injury, although tragically all six occupants of the car that was hit perished.
Am I mistaken, but weren't the occupants tragically killed in the car one of the crew's wife and kids on their way to the airfield "to see dad flying" ?
SpringHeeledJack is offline  
Old 2nd Oct 2020, 15:05
  #23 (permalink)  
Gnome de PPRuNe
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Too close to Croydon for comfort
Age: 60
Posts: 12,589
Received 271 Likes on 150 Posts
It was a fellow HSA test pilot's family as I recall on their way home from school. My recollection is John was visiting from Hatfield? A very sad accident.

My school was close by (my first term there) and it was a "current events" topic covered by our housemaster who was also head of history. Think Graham Hill's crash happened shortly afterwards.
treadigraph is online now  
Old 2nd Oct 2020, 17:59
  #24 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Down south
Posts: 670
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I can recall reading of an incident, I am quite sure it was a Citation in England around the years you speak of, flown single pilot, which had a very slow to erect LHS attitude indicator.
The pilot rushed the departure and allegedly took off utilising the RHS attitude indicator whilst flying from the left seat. Clearly knowing these facts imply it was not a fatal accident, but it must have become some form of serious incident which he managed to recover from, with a subsequent investigation, otherwise no one would have known!

Could this be what you remember?
bingofuel is online now  
Old 2nd Oct 2020, 19:33
  #25 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: The wild west of France
Posts: 0
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Vis à vis the G-BCUX incident, it was the wife and two daughters of Leslie 'Dick' Whittington (who was involved in the test flight programme of the Folland Midge/Gnat) who, along with three other pupils of St. Catherine's School, Bramley, died when the car in which they were travelling was hit when the H.S.125 slid across the A281 Horsham to Guildford road. Apparently he was in the tower when the accident occurred but wasn't, unsurprisingly, aware of who was involved - until later.
fauteuil volant is offline  
Old 2nd Oct 2020, 20:28
  #26 (permalink)  
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: England
Posts: 1,077
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Originally Posted by bingofuel
I can recall reading of an incident, I am quite sure it was a Citation in England around the years you speak of, flown single pilot, which had a very slow to erect LHS attitude indicator.
The pilot rushed the departure and allegedly took off utilising the RHS attitude indicator whilst flying from the left seat. Clearly knowing these facts imply it was not a fatal accident, but it must have become some form of serious incident which he managed to recover from, with a subsequent investigation, otherwise no one would have known!

Could this be what you remember?
Yes and I am inclined to think it was a single pilot operation
ZeBedie is offline  
Old 3rd Oct 2020, 10:42
  #27 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: UK
Posts: 1,679
Likes: 0
Received 123 Likes on 78 Posts
I was introduced to 'Dick' W via SWMBO and her best friend who were both working at Dunsfold at the time. It was, and is for those remaining, a close community and the scars still remain. I did some domestic computer work for Dick and, unsurprisingly, he was (it seemed to me) 'going through the motions'. Desperately sad.
Cornish Jack is offline  
Old 3rd Oct 2020, 10:50
  #28 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: There and here
Posts: 2,856
Received 24 Likes on 17 Posts
Heartbreaking for such an event to happen, talk about chance......and multiplied many times by the personal connections at both ends of the tragedy.
SpringHeeledJack is offline  
Old 3rd Oct 2020, 10:55
  #29 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Reading, UK
Posts: 15,806
Received 199 Likes on 92 Posts
Originally Posted by bingofuel
I can recall reading of an incident, I am quite sure it was a Citation in England around the years you speak of, flown single pilot, which had a very slow to erect LHS attitude indicator.
The pilot rushed the departure and allegedly took off utilising the RHS attitude indicator whilst flying from the left seat. Clearly knowing these facts imply it was not a fatal accident, but it must have become some form of serious incident which he managed to recover from, with a subsequent investigation, otherwise no one would have known!

Could this be what you remember?
Now I'm even more confused. Are we now saying the aircraft in the original post didn't crash, after all?
DaveReidUK is offline  
Old 3rd Oct 2020, 11:14
  #30 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Down south
Posts: 670
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
In the incident I recall, the details of what happened would suggest if it crashed the pilot survived to explain what he did.
bingofuel is online now  
Old 3rd Oct 2020, 11:27
  #31 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: The wild west of France
Posts: 0
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by Cornish Jack
I was introduced to 'Dick' W via SWMBO and her best friend who were both working at Dunsfold at the time. It was, and is for those remaining, a close community and the scars still remain. I did some domestic computer work for Dick and, unsurprisingly, he was (it seemed to me) 'going through the motions'. Desperately sad.
It appears that he died in 2008.
fauteuil volant is offline  
Old 3rd Oct 2020, 17:46
  #32 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: England
Age: 65
Posts: 303
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Partenavia P-68 with suspected faulty AH out of East Midlands 1990?


Attached Files
File Type: pdf
G-BMCB.pdf (495.1 KB, 28 views)
Momoe is offline  
Old 3rd Oct 2020, 18:31
  #33 (permalink)  
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: England
Posts: 1,077
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Originally Posted by DaveReidUK
Now I'm even more confused. Are we now saying the aircraft in the original post didn't crash, after all?
Well I thought it did. It's surprising how hard it is to find accident reports going back to the 70's and 80's. Even in this digital age, so much of our history seems to be slipping away.
ZeBedie is offline  
Old 4th Oct 2020, 05:09
  #34 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Fragrant Harbour
Posts: 4,787
Received 7 Likes on 3 Posts
I'd be surprised. I worked on the RAF Dominies in the 80s and I reckon they did well to last just over 40 years.
Don't forget that the Dominies spent a lot of their life at low level, an environment not envisaged for the type's operation - but being originally a De Havilland design, it was built strong. Interestingly, the Lear 23/25 and Falcon 20 were both built from fighter designs (The Swiss P16 and Dassault Mystere) and are consequently also tough. And both of these have hard point attachmetns on the wings.
Dan Winterland is offline  
Old 4th Oct 2020, 07:34
  #35 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: The wild west of France
Posts: 0
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by ZeBedie
Well I thought it did. It's surprising how hard it is to find accident reports going back to the 70's and 80's. Even in this digital age, so much of our history seems to be slipping away.
A couple of years back, I was in correspondence with the AAIB on this subject. If I remember correctly, I was told that most reports from the eighties onward either had been or were going to be put online and all earlier reports either had been or would be lodged, with the AIB/AAIB files, with the National Archives at Kew. I suspect that the chances of the NA ever putting those online is remote and a personal visit is always going to be the norm for those.
fauteuil volant is offline  
Old 4th Oct 2020, 09:56
  #36 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Reading, UK
Posts: 15,806
Received 199 Likes on 92 Posts
Originally Posted by fauteuil volant
A couple of years back, I was in correspondence with the AAIB on this subject. If I remember correctly, I was told that most reports from the eighties onward either had been or were going to be put online and all earlier reports either had been or would be lodged, with the AIB/AAIB files, with the National Archives at Kew. I suspect that the chances of the NA ever putting those online is remote and a personal visit is always going to be the norm for those.
That's my understanding, too. The AAIB's own online search is pretty dire, partly because the underlying database is flaky.

Getting back to the original topic, while I enjoy a mystery as much as the next person, this one is changing criteria faster than I can keep up with so I'll leave the search to those with more patience than I have.
DaveReidUK is offline  
Old 4th Oct 2020, 13:28
  #37 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Nov 2019
Location: Somewhere South
Posts: 64
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by BSD
Whilst not a 125 (Westwind) not at Luton (Sydney, Kingsford-Smith) and well below 12,000' the only executive jet, ADI related accident I can recall was the Pel-air crash.

Most unlikely to be the one you are trying to recall, the accident report (discussed in past years on PPRUNE) makes for very sobering reading.

It was most likely caused by a reckless and ridiculous act, that began to align the "Swiss cheese slices" leading to tragic and needless loss of life.

The Westwind, which originated if I'm not mistaken from a Ted Smith design was, like the 125, one tough old bird. Not tough enough though for the sort of abuse it got in this case.

If today's pilots read this report they will no doubt give thanks that a) such practices are long gone and b) extensive use is made of very impressive simulators.

Best wishes to all,

BSD.
Yes the 125 is a very tough bird. I remember seeing a newspaper article years ago where a 125 had been hit by a SAM over somewhere in Africa. It blew one engine off but the aircraft remained controllable and flew on to land safely. The photo showed the aircraft on the ground with a engine missing!
PaulH1 is offline  
Old 4th Oct 2020, 14:46
  #38 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: The wild west of France
Posts: 0
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by PaulH1
I remember seeing a newspaper article years ago where a 125 had been hit by a SAM over somewhere in Africa. It blew one engine off but the aircraft remained controllable and flew on to land safely. The photo showed the aircraft on the ground with a engine missing!
See posts #13 and #15 above.
fauteuil volant is offline  
Old 4th Oct 2020, 21:46
  #39 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Aug 1999
Location: Too Far North
Posts: 1,105
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I’ve found this report from late 1984 which seems to have the ADI as a possible cause....

https://www.baaa-acro.com/sites/defa...-03/EI-BGL.pdf
Flap40 is offline  
Old 22nd Sep 2021, 17:08
  #40 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Dunstable, Beds UK
Posts: 545
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Accident

The incident referred to was an HS125 owned by Beechams and maintained and crewed by Autair
It was Christmas eve and they had be checking out a new co-pilot in the afternoon.
They stopped for waiting for dark(,and a cuppa ) -and aircraft was ready in the evening.
The Training Captain ( Hazlehurst I think not sure !).
Took off when it was dark and were doing the engine failure on takeoff.
The aircraft crashed o to the Vauxhall factory at the end of the runway.
Being Christmas eve the assembly line was not working
With the FDR info the profile was flown on the HS 125 simulator in the USA.
I was concluded that the training captain pulled back one engine and the pupil shut down the other engine.
The end of the assembly line and the end of the building was destroyed - And aircraft !)
Vauxhall pulled in a 24 hour crew ( on Christmas eve !) and they worked round the clock. The line was running when the people returned to work after Christmas
GotTheTshirt is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.