ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 202568
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| Date: | Monday 2 December 1935 |
| Time: | day |
| Type: | Robinson Redwing Mk II |
| Owner/operator: | Eastern Counties Aeroplane Club Ltd |
| Registration: | G-ABNP |
| MSN: | 8 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | North Sea off Frinton-on-Sea, Essex -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Ipswich Aerodrome, Ipswich, Suffolk (EGSE) |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
First registered (C of R 3263) on 7.6.31 as G-ABNP to Robinson Aircraft Co Ltd., Croydon Airport, Croydon, Surrey. Sold on and re-registered (C of R 3476) on 5.11.31 to Eastern Counties Aeroplane Club Ltd., Ipswich Aerodrome, Ipswich, Suffolk. It appears the Robinson Redwing company transferred from Croydon to Blue Barns Aerlodrome (aka Colchester Aerodrome, West of the village of Ardleigh, roughly 4 nautical miles North East of Colchester town centre) in 1932 and the Eastern Counties Aeroplane Club operated three of their side-by-side two seat biplanes powered by a 80 hp Armstrong Siddeley Genet 11A radial engine. These were: G-ABRL, G-ABRM and G-ABNX, apparently housed in one hangar.
In May 1932 the company purchased the aerodrome at Gatwick (Lowfield Heath) to operate the Redwing Flying School. It appears that the company returned to Croydon in February 1934. Obviously the move was unwise and costly. Could this be an early example of a company being attracted to a ‘lower cost base’, (led by the company accountant?), only to realise they had forgotten to take into account both the needs of their customers and where most of their customers either lived and/or ‘shopped’? A very basic business lesson still not learnt, even by some major enterprises even today.
G-ABNP was written off (damaged beyond repair) in late 1935 when crashed into the North Sea off Frinton-on-Sea, Essex. Registration G-ABNP cancelled 2.12.35 due to "destruction or permanent withdrawl from use of aircraft", Aircraft salvaged, and parts recovered to rebuild Robinson Redwing Mk.II G-ABRM.
NOTE: As the exact date of the accident has not yet been ascertained, the date of "2.12.35" is purely a "nominal" date, based on the date that the registration was cancelled, which was probably several months after the date of the actual accident. However, as a clue, Robinson Redwing G-ABRM is recorded as "Damaged beyond repair in a forced landing at Frinton-on-Sea, Essex in 12.35". Which indicates that both aircraft were wrecked in the Frinton area in late 1935...
Sources:
1. http://afleetingpeace.org/index.php/aeroplanes/15-aeroplanes/76-register-gb-g-ab
2. https://publicapps.caa.co.uk/docs/HistoricalMaterial/G-ABNP.pdf
3. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/gy/reg_G-A3.html
4. http://www.ukairfieldguide.net/airfields/Blue-Barns
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 05-Dec-2017 21:09 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 05-Dec-2017 21:13 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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