On 27 March 1951 a Douglas Dakota 3 cargo aircraft registered

Aircraft registration

An aircraft registration is a unique alphanumeric string that identifies a civil aircraft, in similar fashion to a licence plate on an automobile...

 G-AJVZ operated by Air Transport Charter

Air Transport Charter

Air Transport Charter Limited was a Jersey based charter and cargo airline from 1947 to 1950.- History :The company was formed in 1947 to carry out passenger and cargo charters from the Channel Islands mainly to England...

 en route from Ringway Airport, Manchester, England, to Nutts Corner Airport, Antrim

Antrim, County Antrim

Antrim is a town in County Antrim in the northeast of Northern Ireland, on the banks of the Six Mile Water, half a mile north-east of Lough Neagh. It had a population of 20,001 people in the 2001 Census. The town is the administrative centre of Antrim Borough Council...

, Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

, crashed shortly after take-off following the failure of the aircraft to gain height. There were four fatalities, two of the three crew on board and two of the three passengers.

Accident

The Dakota was a flight carrying newspapers from Ringway to Nutts Corner. On take off in falling snow, it swung to port, failed to climb, and struck a tree half a mile from the end of the runway. Both pilots were killed.

Conclusion

The subsequent investigation found that the crash resulted from a loss of engine power caused by ice formation in the carburettor intakes attributable to the captain's failure to make use of the heat controls. The extended undercarriage and the presence of snow on the wings may have also been contributory factors.

External links

• Manchester Airport