ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 201230
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| Date: | Friday 24 September 1937 |
| Time: | day |
| Type: |  De Havilland DH.60M Moth |
| Owner/operator: | Brooklands Flying Club |
| Registration: | G-AALX |
| MSN: | 1410 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Sea off Shoreham Harbour, Shoreham-by-sea, West Sussex -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Brooklands Aerodrome, Weybridge, Surrey |
| Shoreham Airport, Lancing, West Sussex (EGKA) |
DH.60M [Gipsy I] registered as G-AALX [C of R 2148] 6.9.29 to Airwork Ltd, Heston, Middlesex. C of A 2219 issued 27.9.29. Sold 1930 and re-registered [C of R 3075] 3.31 to Percival H Meadway, t/a West Kent School of Flying, West Malling; [renamed West Kent Aero Club later in 1931]. Registered [C of R 3417] 9.31 to John L Burgess, West Malling. Re-registered [C of R 3882] 7.32 to Maidstone Airport Ltd, t/a Maidstone Aero Club, West Malling.
Re-registered [C of R 4131] 1.33 to [Count] John E Johnston-Noad, t/a Maidstone Aero Club, West Malling. Re-registered [C of R 5055] 9.5.34 to Brooklands Flying Club Ltd, Brooklands, Weybridge, Surrey. Involved in a fatal incident at Croydon Airport 28.3.35 when Major Brian Stuart Benning (aged 42) was struck by the aircraft's propeller when starting up the engine without chocks. Benning died in hospital shortly afterwards. Minor damage in crash at Surbiton, Surrey 6.3.37; repaired.
Written off (damaged beyond repair) when crashed into the sea off Shoreham Harbour, Shoreham, West Sussex 24.9.37. According to a contemporary newspaper report into the incident, which covered the inquest into the death of the pilot ("Worthing Gazette" - Wednesday 29 September 1937)
"TRAGIC DEATH OF A WORTHING AIRMAN
FATAL NOSE-DIVE INTO THE SEA
MACHINE FALLS FROM HEIGHT OF 1,000 FEET
SUGGESTION THAT PILOT LOST CONTROL
The story of a Worthing airman's fatal nose-dive into the sea off Shoreham on Friday was told at an inquest which the West Sussex Coroner (Mr. F. W. Butler) conducted at Shoreham Town Hall on Saturday on Mr. Thomas Tarrant, aged 31, of 20, Charmandean-road, Broadwater.
An eye-witness who was formerly in the R.A.F. said that the machine came down in a spiral from a height of about 1,000 feet. When it was about 100 feet from the water it came into the wind, appeared to lose its momentum entirely, and nose-dived into the sea.
Flight-Lieutenant P. H. Davey was present on behalf of the Air Ministry, who will, it was stated, follow their usual procedure in holding their own inquiry into the accident.
WORKING FOR COMMERCIAL LICENCE.
PILOT WHO ALWAYS DID AS HE WAS TOLD.
The first witness was Miss Winifred Tarrant, who was accompanied by her father, and who said that her brother wanted to take up commercial aviation. He obtained his "A" licence about a month ago. He was flying on Friday morning and returned to Shoreham Airport after lunch.
Mr. Cecil L Pashley, of Loddon, Kings-drive, Shoreham, Chief Instructor to the South Coast Flying Club, said that Mr. Tarrant had already obtained his "A" certificate when he came to the Airport about a month ago. Witness had taken him up in a dual-control machine and Mr. Tarrant had also done a certain amount of solo flying. On Friday he was flying a D.H. 60 Gipsy Moth machine.
NOT "VENTURESOME."
A message came to the Airport that a machine had come down in the sea, and witness immediately flew out, but could find no trace of the aeroplane, which was in perfect condition, having only recently been brought back from Brooklands, after thorough overhauling.
The coroner: Can you suggest how he came to be out over the sea?
Witness: I am quite at a loss to know.
Would you say he was inclined to be venturesome? —No. I should not: he did exactly as he was told.
Intervening, Mr. Tarrant's father said: "It seems strange to me that my son, who is said always to have done as he was told, should go over the sea."
ONLY CIRCUITS AND LANDINGS.
The coroner (to Mr. Pashley): Did deceased ask if he might go out over the sea? —No; my orders were for him to do circuits and landings and nothing else.
Mr. Tarrant. who appeared to be labouring under considerable emotion asked further questions and the coroner assured him that there would be an Air Ministry inquiry into the disaster.
Mr. L. Hill, Ground Engineer at Shoreham, said that the machine was in perfect condition when it was passed for use on Friday.
Mr. A. C. Nepham, formerly of the Royal Air Force, and now of the Norfolk Arms, Brighton, who was a member of a fishing party in a motor boat belonging to Mr. Gurney Duvall, of Hove, said that when he saw the aeroplane its engine was definitely not running. The machine was at a height of a thousand feet and came down in four or five spirals, until it was a hundred feet from the water, when it seemed to stall and nose-dived in the sea.
ALREADY PICKED UP.
There was a strong wind blowing and the sea was rough. Their motor boat went to the spot, but they ascertained that another boat had picked up an occupant of the machine and they could find no traces of anyone else. He thought the machine lost velocity through the engine not running, resulting in a spin. It was not the spin of an experienced pilot.
The coroner: You think he lost control? —Yes.
You think if he had been an experienced pilot, he would not have come down so near the water? —No.
Did you expect anything to happen? —The plane was flying very unsteadily, and coming into a spin without the engine going, and, being so near the sea, he had not much chance to flatten out and right the machine. I put the cause down to the engine stopping.
MULTIPLE INJURIES.
Mr. W. A. Lind, a Shoreham garage proprietor, who was out in his motor boat, gave evidence of picking up the pilot, who was floating just beneath the surface of the water and apparently lifeless; Police-constable Pierce said that artificial respiration was unsuccessfully tried: and Dr. A. G. K. Ledger, of Shoreham, said that death was due to multiple injuries, shock and concussion of the brain.
A verdict of "Accidental Death" was returned, the jury adding, "Subject to a strict inquiry by the Air Ministry." Both the Coroner and the Air Ministry representative gave assurances regarding this."
Registration cancelled 25.9.37 due to "destruction or permanent withdrawal from use of aircraft"
Sources:
1. Leeds Mercury - Saturday 25 September 1937
2. Belfast Telegraph - Monday 27 September 1937
3. Worthing Gazette - Wednesday 29 September 1937
4. http://www.afleetingpeace.org/index.php/gb-registers-g-aa/g-aa-part-1?highlight=WyJnLWFhbHgiXQ==
5. https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-AALX.pdf
6. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/gy/reg_G-A.html
7. http://www.rcawsey.co.uk/Acc1937.htm
8. https://ab-ix.co.uk/pdfs/dh60.pdf
9. http://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=15521.0
10. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/p014.html
11. https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-de-havilland-dh60m-moth-shoreham
12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoreham-by-Sea
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 28 March 1935 | G-AALX | Brooklands Flying Club | 0 | Croydon Airport, Croydon, Surrey | |
min |
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 12-Nov-2017 23:17 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 12-Nov-2017 23:17 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 29-Feb-2020 21:21 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 09-Oct-2023 07:06 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [[Source, Narrative]] |
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