ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 337213
| Date: | Saturday 7 September 1946 |
| Time: | 04:10 |
| Type: |  Avro 685 York I |
| Owner/operator: | British South American Airways - BSAA |
| Registration: | G-AHEW |
| MSN: | 1300 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1946 |
| Engine model: | Rolls-Royce Merlin |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 24 / Occupants: 24 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed, written off |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | 3 km S of Bathurst-Yundum Airport (BJL) -
 Gambia
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | Bathurst-Yundum Airport (BJL/GBYD) |
| Natal-Augusto Severo International Airport, RN (NAT/SBNT) | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
An Avro York plane, named "Star Leader", was destroyed when it crashed shortly after takeoff from Bathurst (now named Banjul), Gambia. All 24 on board were killed.
The aircraft was on a flight from London to Buenos Aires via Lisbon, Bathurst, Natal, Rio de Janeiro and Montevideo. It had arrived at 02:43 hr at Banjul where a new crew took over. At approximately 04:08 hr the York took off again for Natal. The weather was fair, with visibility 10 miles and cloud base 1,500ft 3/10 strato-cumulus. The wind was WSW at two knots.
Shortly after takeoff the aircraft had crashed in the bush nearly two miles south of the airfield. The port wing first struck trees 40-50 feet high and then crashed through more trees as it rolled over to the left. The airplane burst into flames.
The accident flight was the captain's first York flight on a scheduled service, and it was also the first takeoff he made in a York loaded to more than 69,000 lb.
PROBABLE CAUSE: "The captain losing control of the aircraft very shortly after it had left the ground. The cause of the loss of control cannot be determined with certainty, but that it was due to a mishandling of the controls by the captain is the most likely explanation."
Sources:
Air Britain Casualty compendium (pt. 44)
B.A.L.P.A. Criticizes Accident Reports (Flight Interational 29-5-1947)
BSAA Accident in West Africa (Flight Interational 24-4-1947)
Location
Revision history:
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