Date:	Friday 14 July 1933
Time:	day
Type:	Fairey Fox
Owner/operator:	Luxury Air Tours Group
Registration:	G-ACAS
MSN:	F.35756
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	near Ford Aerodrome, Yapton, Littlehampton, West Sussex -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.)
Nature:	Demo/Airshow/Display
Departure airport:	Ford Aerodrome, Yapton, West Sussex
Destination airport:
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
First registered (C of R 4022) on 24.11.32 as G-ACAS to Luxury Air Tours Ltd., Fleet Street, London WC.2 (aircraft based at Hanworth Aerodrome, Hanworth, Middlesex).

Written off (damaged beyond repair) 14.7.33: Fairey Fox G-ACAS caught fire whilst flying with two passengers at a 'Hospital Day' pageant at Ford Aerodrome on 14.7.33. The ex-Service machine was being flown by an experienced pilot, J.B.W. Pugh A.F.C, and the two fare-paying passengers were a Mrs. Davies and a Miss Doherty. For the first few minutes of the flight, G-ACAS took part in a flypast and, when this was over, Pugh executed a high speed dive and levelled out at a low height in front of the public enclosure, followed by a steep climb to about 1,000 feet. On resuming normal flight, the pilot noticed a strong smell of petrol and on throttling back the engine, smoke and flames came from the back of the cowling and invaded the cockpit.

Pugh immediately put the Fox into a steep side-slip to port and lost height, attempting to to manoeuvre so as to land in an upwind direction on the aerodrome. Having half climbed onto his seat to escape the heat and fumes, he was unable to retain full control and the machine landed heavily with the undercarriage collapsing, the aircraft skidding along for some 30 yards before flipping over. Mrs. Davies and Miss Doherty had undone their safety belts and stood up whilst the machine was descending... fortunately for all concerned, injuries were confined to a few bumps and bruises!

The accident investigation revealed the fire was caused by a fatigue fracture of the annular connection at the outlet of the petrol pump, with the escaping fuel being ignited by a flame from one of the stub exhaust pipes. The fatigue fracture was probably due to undue force being used on the union nut at the annular connection. The pilot was criticised by the Inspector of Accidents for not promptly closing the petrol cock which would have allowed him to retain full control of G-ACAS as the fire died out.

The Fairey Fox was owned by a redoubtable lady, the Hon. Mrs Victor Bruce. In early 1933 she had become involved with the British Hospitals Air Pageant - a flying circus along the lines of Alan Cobham's National Aviation Days - and had agreed to provide two aircraft to participate in the events. One of those was Fairey Fox I G-ACAS. It appears that it was ex-RAF (the Fairey Fox Is which went onto the British civil register were all ex-12 Squadron RAF, which had been put up for disposal in 1932, but no previous serial for this aircraft is known). It is reported that it was acquired from Coley's scrapyard in Hounslow for the princely sum of £12.10/- (that's £12.50 for those of more tender years) to include its 450 hp Curtiss D-12 engine (which cost £10 on its own - the aircraft was valued at £2.10/-) and that Mrs Bruce then spent £1,000 renovating the Fox, adapting it for the carriage of two passengers and so that it was ready for certification. It was registered to her company, Luxury Air Tours Ltd., on 23.3 1933.

Registration G-ACAS cancelled by the Air Ministry 2.12.33 due to "destruction or permanent withdrawl from use of aircraft"

1. Portsmouth Evening News - Saturday 15 July 1933
2. Autobiography: Bruce, Mrs Victor (1977). Nine Lives Plus – Record Breaking on Land, Sea and in the Air: an autobiographical account. Pelham Books. ISBN 0-7207-0974-1.
4. http://afleetingpeace.org/index.php/15-aeroplanes/77-register-gb-g-ac
5. https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-ACAS.pdf
6. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/gy/reg_G-A4.htmll
7. http://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=2594.0
8. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AVIA 5/15/C244: http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C6576712
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mrs_Victor_Bruce#Flying_circus

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
12-Dec-2017 00:51	Dr. John Smith	Added
12-Dec-2017 00:52	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Location]
22-Feb-2020 19:27	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Cn, Source]
22-Feb-2020 19:30	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source]
22-Feb-2020 19:30	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source]
22-Feb-2020 19:33	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source]