Date & Time:
Jul 31, 1936 at 1930 LT
Type of aircraft:
Saro A.19 Cloud
Operator:
Registration:
G-ABXW
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Saint Peter – Saint-Hélier
MSN:
A-19/4
YOM:
1932
Country:
United Kingdom
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
2
Pax on board:
8
Pax fatalities:
8
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
10
Circumstances:
While cruising off Jersey at night, the crew encountered poor weather conditions and attempted to ditch the aircraft crashed into the sea. Debris were found few hours later some 28 km south of Jersey Island. All 10 occupants were killed.
Crew:
Cpt William Halmshaw, pilot,
W. Sotinel, mechanic.
Passengers:
Ernest Appleby,
Maud Bean,
Margaret Davies,
Alice Judd,
Edwina 'Elsie' Marley,
Florence Annie Simpson,
Charles Viel,
Claude Stewart Willis.
Crew:
Cpt William Halmshaw, pilot,
W. Sotinel, mechanic.
Passengers:
Ernest Appleby,
Maud Bean,
Margaret Davies,
Alice Judd,
Edwina 'Elsie' Marley,
Florence Annie Simpson,
Charles Viel,
Claude Stewart Willis.
Probable cause:
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.
