Downend air crash

Downend Air Crash
Accident
Date 6 November 1957 (1957-11-06)
Summary Unknown cause
Site Downend, near Bristol, UK
51°29′23″N 2°30′39″W / 51.4897°N 2.5109°W / 51.4897; -2.5109Coordinates: 51°29′23″N 2°30′39″W / 51.4897°N 2.5109°W / 51.4897; -2.5109
Aircraft type Bristol Britannia Type 301
Operator Bristol Aeroplane Company
Registration G-ANCA
Passengers 0
Crew 15
Fatalities 15
Injuries 1 (On ground)
Survivors 0

The Downend air crash occurred on 6 November 1957 when a prototype Bristol Britannia aircraft crashed in woods near Overndale Road in Downend, a suburb of Bristol, England, on its landing approach at Filton airport during a test flight. All fifteen on board, four crew and 11 technicians, died in the crash.[1]

A memorial service was held at Bristol Cathedral on 19 November 1957. A memorial plaque at the crash site, now called Britannia Wood, was unveiled on 3 November 2007 by the widow of the aircraft's pilot.

Cause

The exact cause of the crash was never determined, but was suspected to be a malfunction of the autopilot, possibly due to faulty wiring. The company which manufactured the autopilot system issued a statement claiming it was not due to the autopilot system, but still altered the system in newer aircraft; the official report states unknown cause but "the autopilot system cannot be ruled out as the likely cause".

Another source cites the cause as "...an instrument failure which ultimately led to a loss of control."[2]

Casualties

All 15 aboard died in the crash. Despite the aircraft coming down in a residential area, nobody on the ground was killed. One woman, a resident of Overndale Road, was taken to hospital after being hurt by the impact blast when one of the engines and part of the wing landed next to her house while she was hanging washing on the line in the garden.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 "15 Killed In Britannia Test Flight Crash". News. The Times (53992). London. 7 November 1957. col E, p. 10.
  2. ↑ "Accident Synopsis » 11061957". Airdisaster.com. Retrieved 22 November 2006.
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