ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 16213
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| Date: | Wednesday 23 August 1939 |
| Time: | day |
| Type: | Bristol Bombay Mk I |
| Owner/operator: | Handling Sqn A&AEE RAF |
| Registration: | L5808 |
| MSN: | SH.1 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | RAF Martlesham Heath, Ipswich, Suffolk, England -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Martlesham Heath, Suffolk |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Prototype Bristol Type 130 Bombay, built by Short Brothers & Harland Ltd at Sydenham, Belfast, first flown 23 June 1935. Written off 23 August 1939; Crashed soon after takeoff from Martlesham Heath, Suffolk. While in initial climb, the aircraft stalled, nosed down and crashed in a huge explosion. Cause of accident attributed to the wrong setting of the pitch trim elevator while taking off. All three crew killed. Crew of Bristol Bombay L5808 were:
Flight Sgt Cecil Eneder Higgins (aged 28) killed
L/AC John Reginald Machin (aged 24) killed
AC.1 Douglas Treadwell (aged 21) killed
According to the official Air Ministry announcement in "Flight" magazine (August 31, 1939 page 205 - see link #7)
"FLYING ACCIDENTS
Flt. Sgt. Cecil Eneder Higgins, L.A/C Reginald John Machin and A/C.1 Douglas Treadwell lost their lives in an accident which occurred at Martlesham Heath, Suffolk, on August 23, to an aircraft of the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment. Flt.Sgt. Higgins was the pilot and L.A/C. Machin and A/C.1 Treadwell were the other members of the crew."
NOTE: Some published sources give the date of the accident as 31/8/39. However, that is probably due to the official announcement of the crash being in "Flight" magazine on that date...but the announcement in "Flight" (above) confirms that the date was definitely 23/8/39.
Sources:
1. Royal Air Force Aircraft L1000-N9999 (James J. Halley, Air Britain, 1983)
2. http://www.edcoatescollection.com/ac6/Bristol%20Bombay%20L5808.html
3. https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1293990/
4. http://www.thunder-and-lightnings.co.uk/memorial/entry.php?id=44
5. http://www.rcawsey.co.uk/Acc1939.htm
6. https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-bristol-130-bombay-i-raf-martlesham-heath-3-killed
7. https://www.flightglobal.com/FlightPDFArchive/1939/1939-1-%20-%200663.PDF
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 21-Mar-2008 09:00 | Bleiente | Added |
| 20-May-2014 01:27 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Date, Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 19-Oct-2014 17:20 | yarbi | Updated [Operator, Location, Departure airport] |
| 12-Mar-2018 17:55 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 01-Apr-2018 17:37 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Date, Time, Source, Narrative] |
| 01-Apr-2018 17:42 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Location, Departure airport, Narrative] |
| 18-Apr-2019 17:30 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Aircraft type] |
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