Somerset | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

The crew was performing a night training exercise when both engines failed following a fuel exhaustion. Due to poor visibility caused by night and clouds, the crew was unable to locate his exact position so both pilots decided to abandon the aircraft and bailed out. The Anson crashed in a field located in Castle Cary, Somerset, and was destroyed while both crewmen were uninjured.
Crew:
F/O Charles Sydney Harold Richardson,
P/O David John Bain.

Probable cause:

Crew lost his orientation in poor visibility and eventually, both engines failed due to a fuel exhaustion.

Crash of a De Havilland DH.84 Dragon I in Weston-Super-Mare

Date & Time: Dec 20, 1939

Type of aircraft:

De Havilland DH.84 Dragon

Operator:

Southern Airways - UK

Registration:

G-ACJT

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Bristol - Cardiff

MSN:

6043

YOM:

1933

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Shortly after take off from Bristol-Filton Airport, the pilot encountered an hazardous situation and was forced to attempt an emergency landing when the aircraft crashed in a field located in Weston-Super-Mare. The aircraft was destroyed and the pilot, sole on board, was seriously injured. He died few hours later from injuries sustained.

Crash of an Avro 652 Anson I in Simonsbath: 5 killed

Date & Time: Nov 28, 1939

Type of aircraft:

Avro 652 Anson

Operator:

Registration:

N5084

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Training

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Harwell - Harwell

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The crew was performing a night cross-country flight out from RAF Harwell. En route, the twin engine aircraft crashed on hilly terrain in Simonsbath. The wreckage was found 40 hours later in the Exmoor National Park. All five crewmen were killed.
Crew (148th Squadron):
F/O Thomas William Storey, pilot,
Sgt Thomas Robert Moss, observer,
Sgt Gerald Roland Cecil Talbot, observer,
AC1 Arthur John Whittaker, wireless operator and gunner,
AC2 Frederick Challenger Overall.

Crash of a Bristol 142 Blenheim IV at RAF Westonzoyland

Date & Time: Sep 19, 1939

Type of aircraft:

Bristol 142 Blenheim

Operator:

Registration:

P4861

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Training

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Westonzoyland - Westonzoyland

MSN:

9376

YOM:

1939

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Shortly after takeoff from RAF Westonzoyland, the airplane suffered a double engine failure. It stalled, crashed, lost its undercarriage and came to rest. The pilot was uninjured.
Crew:
P/O R. C. D. McKenzie.

Probable cause:

Double engine failure after liftoff.

Crash of a Bristol 142 Blenheim IV in Cleeve: 2 killed

Date & Time: Sep 10, 1939

Type of aircraft:

Bristol 142 Blenheim

Operator:

Registration:

P4853

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Netheravon - Netheravon

MSN:

9368

YOM:

1939

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The twin engine airplane departed RAF Netheravon on a training mission. En route, it went out of control and crashed in unknown circumstances in Cleeve, Somerset. All three crew members were seriously injured. The pilot died from his injuries at 2030LT that same evening and another crew died the next day.
Crew:
Sgt J. MacLaughlin, pilot, †
AC1 George Henry Butler, †
AC1 R. P. A. Dougan,
AC1 J. Dormon.

Crash of a Vickers 290 Wellington I in Milborne Port: 3 killed

Date & Time: Jul 21, 1939

Type of aircraft:

Vickers 290 Wellington I

Operator:

Registration:

L4290

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Training

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Stradishall - Stradishall

MSN:

35500

YOM:

1939

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Circumstances:

The crew was performing a training mission out from RAF Stradishall on behalf of the 148th Squadron. En route, while cruising in clouds, the pilot-in-command initiated a turn when he lost control of the airplane that nosed down and crashed in a field located in Milborne Port. All three crew members were killed.
Crew:
F/O York Plant Wilson,
P/O Ivor Russell Barton,
AC1 James Alexander Lowery.

Probable cause:

The initial conclusion of the court of enquiry was that the inexperienced Barton was at the controls at the time of the crash and that he had lost control when trying to turn out of a cloud. Significantly the court also recorded that the Wellington had a tendency to become nose-heavy in a turn, that would develop quickly into a dive from which it could take considerable height to recover. These were early days for the Wellington and later it was discovered that it suffered from ‘rudder overbalance’ that caused the rudder to lock to one side and the aircraft to enter an unrecoverable spiral dive.

Crash of a Lockheed 14-WF62 Super Electra in Walton Bay: 2 killed

Date & Time: Nov 22, 1938

Type of aircraft:

Lockheed 14 Super Electra

Operator:

Registration:

G-AFGO

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Test

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Bristol - Bristol

MSN:

1468

YOM:

1938

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The was engaged in a control (test) flight out from the Bristol-Whitchurch Airport. While flying over the region of Walton Bay, along the Severn, the twin engine aircraft went out of control and crashed in an open field. Both crew members were killed.

Crash of an Avro 504K in Chard: 1 killed

Date & Time: Apr 30, 1933

Type of aircraft:

Avro 504

Operator:

Devonshire Aviation Tours

Registration:

G-ABZC

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

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Schedule:

Chard - Chard

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The single engine airplane was dispatched in the area of Chard for local pleasure flights all day. Shortly after takeoff, while climbing to a height of about 100 feet, the engine failed. The pilot attempted to return for a safe landing but to avoid a telegraph line, he accidentally stalled the airplane that crashed on the ground. A passenger was killed and two other occupants were injured.

Probable cause:

The aeroplane was being employed for the purpose of giving pleasure trips and had made a considerable number of flights that day. Very shortly after the start of the last flight - when the aircraft was little more than 100 feet from the ground - the engine suddenly ceased to function. The pilot thereupon attempted to turn back to the only large field within reach, but in avoiding a line of telegraph wires he accidentally stalled the aeroplane. The machine crashed to the ground and one of the two passengers received fatal injuries. As a result of his investigations, the Inspector of Accidents came to the conclusion that the engine failed through shortage of petrol in the main tank (the machine had not been refuelled since the commencement of flying that day) and that, for this, the pilot was alone to blame, he having failed in his duty to exercise reasonable precautions to ensure the safety of his aircraft in flight. The Secretary of State for Air suspended the pilot's licence for twelve months.

Crash of an Avro 504K in Mudford

Date & Time: Sep 17, 1926

Type of aircraft:

Avro 504

Operator:

Registration:

G-EBFW

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Yeovil - Croydon

MSN:

E1850

YOM:

1923

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Circumstances:

Shortly after takeoff from Yeovil-Westland Airport, while climbing, the single engine aircraft stalled and crashed in an open field located in Mudford, 2 km south of the airport. While all three occupants were injured, the aircraft was destroyed.

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