ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 18637
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| Date: | Saturday 7 September 1968 |
| Time: | morning |
| Type: |  Cessna F172F Skyhawk (Reims) |
| Owner/operator: | Luton Flying Club Ltd |
| Registration: | G-ASWD |
| MSN: | 0089 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Cadair Berwyn Mountain, Llanrhaeadr-ym-mochnant, Denbighshire, Wales -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Luton Airport, Befordshire (LTN/EGGW) |
| Liverpool Airport, Speke, Liverpool (LPL/EGGP) | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Fatal crash into Cadair Berwyn Mountain, Llanrhaeadr-ym-mochnant, Denbighshire, North Wales on 7th September 1968. Aircraft was en-route from Luton to Liverpool, and was found in the afternoon by a farmer and his sons a few feet below the summit of Cadair Berwyn; all on board had been killed and the aircraft was 25 miles off course. Per a contemporary report in "Flight International" magazine 29 January 1970:
"Cessna 172, G-ASWD, September 7, 1968: During the flight from Luton to Liverpool the pilot encountered cloud conditions which prevented map reading as a means of navigation. The aircraft struck Cadair Berwyn mountain in Denbighshire, which lies approximately 25 miles to the south of the pilot's intended track and was covered by clouds at the time.
The pilot had obtained a PPL only nine days before the accident and had: a total flying experience of 50hr 35min. He had not received instruction in the use of radio aids to navigation and the flight was to be conducted visually by map reading. The previous evening the pilot had spent two to three hours studying the route and preparing his flight plan with the assistance of one of the club flying instructors, this same instructor being present before the departure to authorise the flight. After confirming that the pilot had received the necessary weather information the instructor emphasised that because of his very limited experience he was to return to Luton or divert to a suitable alternative if he encountered adverse weather.
Although he had received no training in the use of VOR the pilot expressed a wish to make use of this aid primarily out of interest. He was advised that if he did make use of the Daventry VOR en route from Luton to Lichfield he should not place any reliance on the information he received from it but should confine himself to map reading.
The weather forecast for the route was three to six oktas cumulus with a base at 2,500-3,000ft. Visibility was forecast as 4km to 8km gradually improving to 6km to 12km. Details of the actual weather in the area of the flight, provided by the Meteorological Office, indicate that there were large patches of low stratus cloud in the northern half of the route, together with considerable smoke haze to the northwest of the industrial area of Birmingham.
The investigation found that the instructor who authorised the flight had taken the correct steps to brief the pilot and to advise him to return if the weather deteriorated and the investigation concludes that the accident was the result of continuing flight into weather conditions which presented the pilot with a task beyond his training and capablities"
Aircraft came down at coordinates 52°53′ 2.04″ N, 3°22′ 48.72″ W, Map Reference SJ03SE, Grid Reference SJ0735032550. Registration G-ASWD cancelled by the CAA 29/10/68 as aircraft "destroyed"
Cadair Berwyn or Cader Berwyn is a mountain summit in north-east Wales with a height of 832 metres (2,730 ft) above sea level. It is the highest point in the Berwyn range, the highest in North East Wales and the highest significant summit in Wales outside the National Parks. Cadair Berwyn and Foel Cedig to the west are the two Marilyns that form the Berwyn range. The undulating plateau of the range also includes a large number of other summits above 2,000 feet (610 m), including satellite summits of Cadair Berwyn and many which are classed as Nuttalls
Sources:
1. http://sabre-sussex-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo_library/libweb/action/search.do?vid=44SUS_SABRE_VU
2. CAA: https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-ASWD.pdf
3. "Flight International" magazine 29 January 1970: https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1970/1970%20-%200182.html
4. http://www.coflein.gov.uk/en/site/295463/details/air-crash-site-cadair-berwyn
5. https://powysenc.weebly.com/beadles---bevan.html
6. https://bnb.data.bl.uk/doc/resource/010945128
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadair_Berwyn
Media:
Cessna F172F Skyhawk G-ASWD (nearest camera) circa 1965:
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 17-May-2008 11:10 | ASN archive | Added |
| 25-Sep-2011 06:08 | Uli Elch | Updated [Aircraft type, Location, Country, Phase, Nature, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 11-Aug-2012 13:20 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 11-Aug-2012 13:24 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Source] |
| 11-Jan-2016 17:59 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 28-Nov-2020 21:24 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 28-Nov-2020 21:25 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 28-Nov-2020 22:09 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 12-Jun-2022 19:12 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Source, Embed code, Narrative, Category] |
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