Short S.26 G-Class | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

Last December 30, the engine n°4 failed. The airplane was grounded in Lisbon and the engine was changed. Prior to a flight back to London, the crew decided to made a local test flight. Twenty minutes after takeoff, the crew encountered problems with the engine n°3 that caught fire and decided to return. While descending to an altitude of 1,200 feet, the crew experienced strong vibrations and smoke spread in the cabin and the cockpit. The pilot was unable to feather the propeller on the engine n°3 and the seaplane named 'Golden Horn' went out of control and crashed into the bay, some 800 metres offshore. The radio operator and a passenger were rescued while 13 other occupants were killed.

Probable cause:

A technical failure occurred on the fourth piston of the sixth cylinder on the engine number three, causing hydraulic fluid and gasoline to spill and ignite in contact with high temperature elements. It was stated that the loss of control was due to the fact that pilots were incapacitated while part of the aircraft was on fire. Also, the number of victim was raised by the fact that the crew did not follow the emergency procedures and that passengers were neither attached nor correctly prepared for such emergency maneuver. Also, it was reported that all passengers were unauthorized on board.

Crash of a Short S.26 G-Class off Cape Finisterre: 8 killed

Date & Time: Jun 20, 1941

Type of aircraft:

Short S.26 G-Class

Operator:

Registration:

X8274

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Mount Batten – Gibraltar

MSN:

S.872

YOM:

1937

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The seaplane was on its way from RAF Mount Batten, Devonshire, to Gibraltar. Three hours into the flight, the crew decided to return following an engine failure. But shortly later, a second engine failed, forcing the crew to divert to Lisbon. The captain eventually attempted to make an emergency landing off Cape Finisterre. Upon landing, the hull caved and the aircraft quickly sank. Eight crew members drowned while four others took place in a dinghy. They were recovered three days and a half later by the crew of a German submarine and became PoW.
Crew:
Sgt William Frederick Aalexander, †
P/O James Barry, †
F/Lt George Henry Bowes, †
LAC William Thomas Roy Crago, †
F/Sgt Claud Ernest Fowler, †
Sgt Henry Richard Mason, †
F/Sgt David Francis Meyrick, †
Sgt Albert Henry Sillifant Waller, †
Cpl James Anderson,
Cpl Leonard George Corcoran,
Sgt Julian Eustace Hill,
S/L Samuel Godfrey Long.

Probable cause:

Double engine failure in flight.