Jersey

It is believed that the pilot had allowed the De Havilland to fall into a side-slip while climbing through a low overcast, and at an insufficient altitude for him to regain control. The aircraft was seen to emerge from the cloud base at a height of around 120 feet and plunge to earth, and after impact it slid across the ground until it struck a solid earth bank, whereupon it burst into flames.

It was theorized that the flight in turbulent conditions may have caused a small quantity of fuel in the bottom of the tank to surge sufficiently to uncover the tank outlet temporarily, and thus cause one or both fuel pumps to become air-locked. The aircraft’s undercarriage had been extended at the time of the ditching, suggesting that the pilot had tried to reach land after the failure of one or both power plants. Rescue efforts had been hampered by the heavy seas and the fact that G-ABXW was not equipped with radio equipment, which could have been used to establish its position. It was in fact noted in the report of the UK Accidents Investigation Branch that the dispatch of an aircraft without a radio violated established directives.