ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 61569
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Tuesday 4 January 1955 |
| Time: | day |
| Type: |  Bell 47G (Bell 47B-3) |
| Owner/operator: | BEA Helicopters Ltd |
| Registration: | G-AKFA |
| MSN: | 69 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | London-Gatwick Airport, West Sussex, England -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Test |
| Departure airport: | London Gatwick Airport (LGW) |
| London/Gatwick Airport (LGW) | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Bell 47B-3 G-AKFA: First registered (C of R 118641/1) on 11/9/47 to British European Airways Ltd (BEA), Ruislip, Middlesex. Written off (damaged beyond repair) 4/1/55 when blown over by high winds on landing. The helicopter was running blade icing tests and crashed from 40 feet. The pilot was First Officer C S Hagues, the other occupant Engineer Observer W B Petrie. [Britain was in the grip of snowstorms on this day.] See: The Times, Wed 5/1/1955. Another (very similar) report appeared in the "Birmingham Daily Post" - Wednesday 05 January 1955:
"Helicopter Damaged During Research
A B.E.A. helicopter engaged on blade-icing research in a snowstorm at Gatwick Airport yesterday suddenly dropped to the ground from a height of 40ft., at which it had been hovering. The undercarriage and rotor blades were badly damaged, but the crew of two — the pilot, First Officer C. N. Hague and Engineer Observer W. B. Petrie—escaped unhurt.
Registration G-AKFA cancelled by the CAA on 5/9/55 as "damaged beyond repair"
Sources:
1. http://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=16092.0
2. https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-AKFA.pdf
3. https://ab-ix.co.uk/pdfs/beafleetlist.pdf
4. http://www.flightglobal.com/FlightPDFArchive/1953/1953%20-%200130.pdf
5. http://www.rotorspot.nl/historic/g-1.php
6. http://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=16091.0
7. https://www.pprune.org/aviation-history-nostalgia/234448-ba-helicopters.html
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 22-May-2009 12:58 | XLerate | Added |
| 17-Aug-2010 15:47 | TB | Updated [Date, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Phase, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 04-Nov-2013 20:09 | eagleman | Updated [Narrative] |
| 28-Jan-2014 19:46 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Location, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 03-Jun-2014 09:10 | TB | Updated [Aircraft type, Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 05-Jun-2014 18:15 | TB | Updated [Source] |
| 22-Feb-2020 00:08 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Operator, Source, Narrative] |
| 22-Feb-2020 00:10 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Source] |
| 13-Jun-2023 10:28 | Nepa | Updated [[Source]] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation