1934 London, Scottish & Provincial Airways Airspeed Courier crash
Encyclopedia
On 29 September 1934, an Airspeed Courier
of London, Scottish & Provincial Airways Ltd crashed at Tiverton Bottom, Shoreham, Kent
, United Kingdom
. The aircraft was on a scheduled international passenger flight from Heston Aerodrome
, Middlesex
, United Kingdom to Le Bourget Airport, Paris
France
. All four people on board were killed. Two people were injured by flying débris.
G-ACSY, c/n 16. The aircraft had been registered on 17 May 1934, The aircraft was on loan from Airspeed.
France
. It flew into an isolated storm over north west Kent. An eyewitness reported seeing the aircraft emerge from the clouds in a vertical dive. The cloudbase was at an altitude of 1200 feet (365.8 m) and the hills around Shoreham reached an elevation of 600 feet (182.9 m). The aircraft crashed at Tiverton Bottom, between Shoreham and Chelsfield
. All four people on board were killed, Two women walking in the vicinity of the accident were injured when they were struck by flying débris. some parts of the aircraft were found 66 feet (20.1 m) to the south west and 100 feet (30.5 m) west of the main wreckage. An eyewitness stated that he thought the pilot may have stalled trying to avoid high tension power lines.
An inquest
into the accident was held at Sevenoaks
on 2 October. The victims were identified by documentation and personal belongings as they had received injuries which made visual identification "extremely difficult, if not impossible". Evidence was given that the aircraft was not operating anywhere near its maximum take-off weight of 4000 pounds (1,814.4 kg) and that it had been airworthy on departure from Heston. The pilot was experienced. He was a former Royal Air Force
pilot and had 1,500 hours flying time, of which 150 hours were on the Heston-Paris route.
Airspeed Courier
|-See also:-External links:**...
of London, Scottish & Provincial Airways Ltd crashed at Tiverton Bottom, Shoreham, Kent
Shoreham, Kent
Shoreham is a village and civil parish in the valley of the River Darent six miles north of Sevenoaks in Kent: it is in the District of Sevenoaks. The parish includes the settlements of Badgers Mount and Well Hill....
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The aircraft was on a scheduled international passenger flight from Heston Aerodrome
Heston Aerodrome
Heston Aerodrome was a 1930s airfield located to the west of London, UK, operational between 1929 and 1947. It was situated on the border of the Heston and Cranford areas of Hounslow, Middlesex...
, Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
, United Kingdom to Le Bourget Airport, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. All four people on board were killed. Two people were injured by flying débris.
Aircraft
The accident aircraft was Airspeed CourierAirspeed Courier
|-See also:-External links:**...
G-ACSY, c/n 16. The aircraft had been registered on 17 May 1934, The aircraft was on loan from Airspeed.
Accident
The aircraft took off from Hounslow Aerodrome at around 17:00 on a scheduled international passenger flight to Le Bourget Airport, ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It flew into an isolated storm over north west Kent. An eyewitness reported seeing the aircraft emerge from the clouds in a vertical dive. The cloudbase was at an altitude of 1200 feet (365.8 m) and the hills around Shoreham reached an elevation of 600 feet (182.9 m). The aircraft crashed at Tiverton Bottom, between Shoreham and Chelsfield
Chelsfield
Chelsfield is a place in the London Borough of Bromley in London, England.The name is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Cillesfelle, meaning land of a man called Cēol....
. All four people on board were killed, Two women walking in the vicinity of the accident were injured when they were struck by flying débris. some parts of the aircraft were found 66 feet (20.1 m) to the south west and 100 feet (30.5 m) west of the main wreckage. An eyewitness stated that he thought the pilot may have stalled trying to avoid high tension power lines.
An inquest
Inquest
Inquests in England and Wales are held into sudden and unexplained deaths and also into the circumstances of discovery of a certain class of valuable artefacts known as "treasure trove"...
into the accident was held at Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks is a commuter town situated on the London fringe of west Kent, England, some 20 miles south-east of Charing Cross, on one of the principal commuter rail lines from the capital...
on 2 October. The victims were identified by documentation and personal belongings as they had received injuries which made visual identification "extremely difficult, if not impossible". Evidence was given that the aircraft was not operating anywhere near its maximum take-off weight of 4000 pounds (1,814.4 kg) and that it had been airworthy on departure from Heston. The pilot was experienced. He was a former Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
pilot and had 1,500 hours flying time, of which 150 hours were on the Heston-Paris route.