The Winter Hill air disaster occurred on 27 February 1958 when a Silver City

Silver City (airline)

Silver City Airways was a private, British independentindependent from government-owned corporations airline formed in 1946. The name Silver City was derived from the eponymous Australian mining town at Broken Hill, where the The Zinc Corporation was headquartered. Silver City's first commercial...

 Bristol 170 Freighter (G-AICS), travelling from the Isle of Man

Isle of Man

The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...

 to Manchester, crashed into Winter Hill (also known as Rivington Moor) several hundred yards away from the Independent Television Authority

Independent Television Authority

The Independent Television Authority was an agency created by the Television Act 1954 to supervise the creation of "Independent Television" , the first commercial television network in the United Kingdom...

's Winter Hill transmitting station

Winter Hill transmitting station

The Winter Hill transmitting station is a broadcasting and telecommunications site situated on Winter Hill, at the southern boundary of the Borough of Chorley, and above Bolton in Greater Manchester, England...

.

Thirty-five people died and seven were injured. The weather that night (note: the ICAO report states that the accident occurred at 09.15 in the morning) was so severe that none of the engineers working in the ITA transmitting station were aware of the crash. Several feet of snow hampered rescue efforts, and a snow cat

Snowcat

A snowcat is an enclosed-cab, truck sized, fully tracked vehicle designed to move on snow. Snowcats are often referred to as 'trail groomers' because of their use for grooming ski trails or snowmobile trails...

 vehicle had to be diverted from the A6 to cut a path for emergency vehicles though the track had been cleared by people using spades by the time it arrived.

Background

The flight was essentially a charter flight from Ronaldsway Airport in the Isle of Man

Isle of Man

The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...

 to Manchester Ringway Airport for a group of mainly Motor Traders to visit the Manchester Exide Battery Factory and Manchester car show.

Crash

The flight of the Silver City Bristol 170 Freighter (G-AICS), call sign 'Charlie Sierra' was due to fly from Ronaldsway Airport, Ballasalla in the Isle of Man to an aircraft reporting point at Squire's Gate about 3 miles (4.8 km) from Blackpool. The aircraft was flown by Captain Cairnes at an altitude of 1500 feet (457.2 m) due to low cloud and other air traffic in the Manchester area. After gaining clearance from Air-Traffic Control at Manchester Ringway Airport, Captain Cairnes flew 'Charlie Sierra' inland to Wigan Beacon a non-directional beacon in the Manchester Zone which transmitted a recognition signal of 'MYK' in morse code on a frequency of 316 kilocycles and a range of about 25 miles (40.2 km). Due to a number of navigation errors in respect to the radio compass bearings and altitude readings the Silver City Bristol Freighter crashed near the summit of Winter Hill, five miles (8 km) south-east of Chorley, Lancashire at 9:45 am on 27 February 1958.

Isle of Man motor trade

• Thomas Adams (54), Corner Garage, Ramsey.
• John Cannan Bridson (61), The Garage, Ballaugh.
• Norman Hull Brown (71), Onchan.
• Ralph Caine (57), Austin Dealer, Laxey.
• William Ralph Cain (33), Crossbie, Cain & Kennish Ltd, Douglas.
• Thomas Edward Christian (55), Salisbury Garage, Douglas.
• David Charles Corlett (47), The Lhen Garage.
• William Neville Corlett (17), The Lhen Garage.
• G.W. 'Willie' Corlett (67), Ramsey Motors Ltd.
• Robert Corkill (56), Corkill's Garage, Onchan.
• James William Crellin (25), Salisbury Garage, Douglas.
• John Crennell (42), Crennells Garage, Ramsey.
• Arthur Gleave (38), Ramsey Motor's Ltd.
• Thomas Joseph Gilbertson (33), Agent for Riley, Alvia and Blanke & Lanz.
• William Harding (28), Motor-Cycle Dealer.
• David Charles Harding (24), Motor-Cycle Dealer.
• David Malcolm Howarth (25), Ramsey Motors Ltd.
• George Selwyn Lace (36), Empire Garage Ltd, Peel.
• Frank Leece (52), Orry Motors.
• James Harold Lindsay (56), Dealer for Standard Cars and Triumph.
• William Arthur Tonkin (43), Ramsey Motors Ltd.
• Thomas Williams (32), Corkill's Garage, Onchan.
• Leslie Kneale (42), Garage Owner, Port St. Mary

Other fatalities

• Ted Partington (38), Isle of Man Water Board
• Thomas Alfred Callow (33), Transport Manager, Clucas Laundry Ltd, Braddan.
• Raymond Clague (33), Douglas Hackney Owners Association.
• Sergeant Jack Cretney (41), Isle of Man Constabulary
  Isle of Man Constabulary
  The Isle of Man Constabulary is the organisation responsible for policing the Isle of Man, an island of 80,000 inhabitants situated equidistant from Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland and England.-Structures and Deployment:...
  
  
• Lewis Arthur Cowin (55), Clucas Laundry Ltd, Braddan.
• J. Douglas Craine (52), Maintenance Superintendent, Douglas Corporation Transport.
• John Wade Fargher (33), Hackney Licence, Peel.
• Victor James McMahon (35), T.G.McMahon Ltd, Ballasalla.
• William Russell Moore (31), Assistant Civil Defence Officer, Isle of Man Civil Defence
• John Bayliss Parkes (37), Corlett Sons & Cowley Ltd.
• Charles Edward Staley (28).
• Thomas Alma Watts (47).

Crew members

• Captain E.M.H.Cairnes, Pilot.
• First Officer William Howarth, Navigator.
• Jennifer Curtis, Stewardess.

Other survivors

• James Crosbie, Crosbie, Cain & Kennish Ltd, Douglas.
• William N.Ennett.
• Fredrick Kennish, Crosbie, Cain & Kennish Ltd, Douglas
• Harold Williamson, Isle of Man Electricity Board