ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 202967
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| Date: | Monday 13 December 1937 |
| Time: | day |
| Type: | GAL Monospar ST.4 Mk.II |
| Owner/operator: | Charles Henry Tutt |
| Registration: | G-ACEW |
| MSN: | GAL/ST4/11 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Croydon Aiport, Croydon, Surrey -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Cargo |
| Departure airport: | LeBourget Airport, Paris, France (LBG/LFPB) |
| Croydon Airport, Croydon, Surrey (EGCR) | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
First registered (C of R 4233) on 2.3.33 as G-ACEW to Highland Airways Ltd., Inverness (Dalcross) Airport, Inverness, Highland. C of A 3850 issued later in 1933.
Capt Edmund E Fresson started Highland Airways based at Inverness, (Longmans Field), and operated an ‘airline service’ to the Orkneys starting on 8.5.33 with, initially, the DH.60 Moth G-AAWO offering services from Inverness via Wick. Or so some claim....other records state the first service was with the GAL ST.4 Monospar G-ACEW. This aircraft seems more likely to have operated the service as G-ACEW was registered to Highland Airways on 2.3.33. What is certain is that G-ACEW was the first aircraft to land at Wideford Airfield, west of Kirkwall, Orkney on 4.5.33 (there is a postcard - see link #7) with the caption "Inverness-Kirkwall Air Service - First arrival at Wideford Airport - 4-5-33")
Iain Hutchinson describes in his book 'Air Ambulance' that, “Freeson quickly branched out to establish links with several of the northern isles of Orkney. The people of North Ronaldsay enthusiastically embraced this idea and quickly got together to ensure that Fresson would not be impeded through lack of a suitable landing site. The people of Westray, Sanday and Stronsay were soon dismantling walls to provide adequate landing runs so they might benefit from Highland Airways services.”
Sold on and re-registered (C of R 7992) on 13.7.37 to Charles Henry Tutt, London SE.6 (aircraft based at Gravesend Airport, Gravesend, Kent).
Written off (destroyed) 13.12.37 when crashed on landing in bad weather at Croydon Airport, Croydon, Surrey. According to a contemporary newspaper report ("Yorkshire Evening Post - Monday 13 December 1937):
"A twin-engined airliner with freight, inward bound from Paris, and piloted by Mr. A. Duggan, while landing at Croydon, to-day, was caught by a strong gust. The machine overturned, smashing the undercarriage and damaging the lower wing plane. The pilot was unhurt."
A letter from Capt. Fresson to Flight magazine, published in the issue of 7 December 1961, gives some clue as to what might have been the cause of the crash. He says (inter alia) that:
'G-ACEW was ultimately sold to a private owner in the South, who successfully wrote it off within a period of weeks [actually it appears to have been a period of about five and a half months!]. He was warned when he took delivery of G-ACEW from Longman Airfield, Inverness, to watch the holding-down bolts on No 5 cylinder [of the Pobjoy engines], as they were prone to work loose. The warning must have been neglected, as I heard this cylinder flew off and caused the emergency landing, which he could not pull off, probably owing to his inexperience with this type of aircraft.'
Capt. Fresson may have been a bit harsh in his explanation of what happened when Mr. Duggan landed at Croydon. The weather that day and night was appalling all over the Country with very heavy and frequent snow, high winds and driving sleet. The atrocious conditions caused another aircraft (Lockheed 10A Electra G-AEPP) to crash at Croydon that day, a British Airways airliner, which crashed into a hangar/petrol station on landing injuring four passengers. There was also the deaths of four crew of the Heyford bomber at Stopham Bridge in Sussex caused by the weather. I also note that he uses the phrase "....as I heard" - so he doesn't appear to know the circumstances for fact or at got his information at first hand.
Registration G-ACEW cancelled by the Air Ministry 31.12.37 due to "destruction or permanent withdrawl from use of aircraft"
Sources:
1. Yorkshire Evening Post - Monday 13 December 1937
2. Flight magazine, 7 December 1961
3. http://afleetingpeace.org/index.php/15-aeroplanes/77-register-gb-g-ac
4. https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-ACEW.pdf
5. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/gy/reg_G-A4.html
6. http://www.ukairfieldguide.net/airfields/Kirkwall
7. http://www.ukairfieldguide.net/airfields/Wideford
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Aircraft_Monospar
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 14-Dec-2017 20:10 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 14-Dec-2017 20:11 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 14-Dec-2017 20:12 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport] |
| 14-Dec-2017 20:15 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Operator] |
| 02-Mar-2020 23:22 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Nature, Source, Narrative] |
| 02-Mar-2020 23:26 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Departure airport] |
| 02-Mar-2020 23:29 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
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