ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 221151
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| Date: | Saturday 24 March 1917 |
| Time: | day |
| Type: | Sopwith Triplane |
| Owner/operator: | RNAS Dunkerque |
| Registration: | N5473 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | near Fort Burgoyne, RNAS Dover, Kent -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | H.M.S. President II, RNAS Dover, Kent |
| H.M.S. President II, RNAS Dover, Kent | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
24.3.17: Sopwith Triplane N5473, RNAS Dunkerque. Written off (destroyed) due to structural failure in flight, when broke up in dive out of cloud (reportedly, a wing broke off) near Fort Burgoyne, RNAS Dover, Kent. Pilot - Flt Sub-Lt William Smith Oliver (Canadian, aged 25) - was killed.
According to a contemporary report in "Flight" magazine (March 29, 1917 page 292 - see link #4)
"At the inquest on March 26th on Flight-Lieut. W. S. Oliver, who was killed whilst flying in Kent, it was stated that the machine fell about 2,500 ft., and that when it emerged from a cloud it was nose-diving. The wings on one side appeared to fall away, and the aeroplane crashed to earth. A verdict of "Death by Misadventure" was returned"
According to one published source (see link #6)
"Dover-based Triplane N5473 breaks up in a dive from 2,500ft killing the Canadian pilot. This restarts rumours about the strength of Sopwith ‘Triplanes’ which have been through ‘factor of safety’ structural tests at Farnborough including a test to measure the bending load required to break the fragile looking fuselage structure
Sources:
1. http://www.rcawsey.co.uk/Acc1917.htm
2. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/365685/oliver,-william-smith/
3. http://www.rafmuseumstoryvault.org.uk/archive/oliver-w.s.-william-smith
4. Flight magazine (March 29, 1917 page 292): https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1917/1917%20-%200292.html?search=fitzsimmons
4. https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/memorials/canadian-virtual-war-memorial/detail/365685
5. https://www.kingstonaviation.org/sopwith-day-by-day/1917.html
6. http://www.naval-history.net/xDKCas1917-03Mar.htm
7. Dover in the Great War By Stephen Wynn (page 150)
Media:
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 26-Jan-2019 17:19 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 26-Jan-2019 20:00 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 26-Jan-2019 20:01 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Source] |
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