Date:	Saturday 1 June 1940
Time:	day
Type:	Armstrong Whitworth AW.27 Ensign
Owner/operator:	Imperial Airways Ltd
Registration:	G-ADSX
MSN:	AW.1162
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Le Bourget Airport, Val d'Oise 95 -   France
Phase:	Standing
Nature:	Passenger - Scheduled
Departure airport:	LeBourget Airport, Paris, France (LBG/LFPB)
Destination airport:

Narrative:
First registered (C of R 6300) on 3.10.35 as G-ADSX to Imperial Airways Ltd., London SW.1 (aircraft based at Croydon Airport, Croydon, Surrey: named "Etrrick". C of a 6644 issued October 1935. First flown 27.2.39, delivered 7.6.39

11 Ensign aircraft were in service at the outbreak of the Second World War (3.9.39), with a twelfth following soon after. All were withdrawn in October 1939; they were to be camouflaged before flying a new route from Heston Aerodrome to Le Bourget Airport, Paris. The aircraft remained in service after formation of BOAC that November but instead of being taken up for military service, they remained civilian operated under the direction of National Air Communications.

Their first duties after the German invasion of the Low Countries was ferrying supplies to France. This was followed by evacuation before France capitulated in June. Despite operating away from their maintenance base for weeks at a time, Ensigns managed 100% availability and impressed with their short take-off run even when fully loaded.

G-ASDX was written off (destroyed) on or soon after 1.6.40, being abandoned at Le Bourget Airport, Paris, France due to the runway being strewn with time-delay bombs.

Three Ensigns were destroyed by enemy action in 1940: G-ADSX "Ettrick" and G-ADSZ "Elysian" in France, and G-ADTC "Endymion" at Bristol Whitchurch in November 1940. G-ASDX "Ettrick", which had been abandoned at Le Bourget after being damaged by bombs on 1.6.40, was rumoured to have been used by Germany, and later given Daimler-Benz engines. This is considered by most experts on the Luftwaffe to be a myth which may have its roots in a Flight article by P.W. Moss in 1957 (see link #5). It is more likely that G-ADSX was burnt at Le Bourget to prevent it from falling into enemy hands.

However, the Database section in the March 2015 edition of Aeroplane Monthly states that the Germans may have fitted Daimler-Benz engines to G-AFZV "Enterprise".

Registration G-ADSX formally cancelled by the Air Ministry on 9.9.40 due to "destruction or permanent withdrawl from use of aircraft"

1. http://afleetingpeace.org/index.php/15-aeroplanes/78-register-gb-g-ad
2. https://publicapps.caa.co.uk/docs/HistoricalMaterial/G-ADSX.pdf
3. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/gy/reg_G-A7.html
4. Database: Armstrong Whitworth Ensign". Aeroplane. Stamford: Key Publishing (March 2015): 77–94. ISSN 0143-7240
5. Moss, P.W. (22 February 1957). Ensign Class: The History of a Fleet of Airliners That Went to War. Flight. Part 2. pp. 247–250 at https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1957/1957%20-%200245.html
6. http://1000aircraftphotos.com/Contributions/3280B.htm
7. https://www.baesystems.com/en/heritage/armstrong-whitworth-aw27-ensign

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
14-Jan-2018 20:41	Dr. John Smith	Added
14-Jan-2018 20:43	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Aircraft type]