ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 18665
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| Date: | Friday 25 August 1972 |
| Time: | 17:41 UTC |
| Type: |  Cessna FA150L Aerobat (Reims) |
| Owner/operator: | The South London Aero Club Ltd** |
| Registration: | G-AYKM |
| MSN: | FA150-0084 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Chevening Park, Knockholt, Sevenoaks, Kent -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Training |
| Departure airport: | Biggin Hill, Kent (BQH/EGKB) |
| Biggin Hill, Kent (BQH/EGKB) | |
| Investigating agency: | AIB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities |
Cessna FA150L Aerobat (Reims) G-AYKM: Written off (damaged beyond repair) 25/8/1972 when crashed at Chevening Park, Knockholt, Sevenoaks, Kent, shortly after taking off from Biggin Hill. Both persons on board - pilot and passenger - were killed. According to the following extract from the official AAIB report into the accident:
"During the flight in which the pilot had expressed the intention of carrying out aerobatics, the aircraft stalled and spun into the ground from a steep turn at a low height. It is believed that the stall and spin were unintentional. The aircraft did not recover from the spin, and the pilot and his passenger were killed when the aircraft struck the ground.
The reason for the failure to recover from the spin has not been determined, but, in the absence of evidence of failure or malfunction of the aircraft or its controls, it is concluded that, in the hazy weather conditions, the pilot may have become disorientated, and taken incorrect control movements to effect recovery"
The AAIB report names the pilot fatality as Mr. Ian Alexander MacDonald de-Taranto, aged 26; the passenger fatality was not named.
**NOTE; The exact owner of G-AYKM at the time of its crash is not 100% confirmed. G-AYKM was owned by a Jennifer Cadbury of Bracknell, Berkshire from 18/8/1971 until 31/1/1972. The CAA records state that the sale was "confirmed 6/9/1972", some twelve days after it crashed. The next "officially recorded" owner was Warren Aviation Ltd of Bromley, Kent, from 12/1/1973 - some four months after its accident!
It is therefore presumed, but not confirmed, that the South London Aero Club Ltd were the (unrecorded) owners/operators of this aircraft between 1/2/1972 and 11/1/1973, although there is no official confirmation of this in CAA records. The AAIB report gives the operator of G-AYKM at the time of the accident as "The South London Aero Club Ltd", with the owner as a "Mr. J. Butler", neither of whom are listed on the aircraft's registration document. The registration G-AYKM was belatedly cancelled by the CAA on 8/10/1975 as aircraft "destroyed"
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
1. AAIB Final Report: https://assets.digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk/media/5422fed440f0b61346000a53/17-1973_G-AYKM.pdf
2. CAA Registration: https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-AYKM.pdf
3. G-AYKM at Denham (EGLD) on 7/3/1971: https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1400813
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knockholt
5. https://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=17406.0
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 17-May-2008 11:10 | ASN archive | Added |
| 26-Sep-2011 09:10 | Uli Elch | Updated [Aircraft type, Cn, Location, Country, Phase, Nature, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 29-Aug-2012 14:55 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 01-Aug-2015 18:25 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Nature, Source, Narrative] |
| 19-Oct-2015 14:26 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Destination airport, Narrative] |
| 26-Jan-2020 17:47 | Uli Elch | Updated [Aircraft type] |
| 04-Oct-2020 23:00 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Source, Narrative, Accident report] |
| 19-Nov-2020 19:26 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Source, Narrative, Accident report] |
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