ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 205396
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| Date: | Thursday 7 January 1937 |
| Time: | day |
| Type: | Taylor Experimental |
| Owner/operator: | Richard Taylor |
| Registration: | G-AEPX |
| MSN: | TE.2 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Hamsey Green Airfield, Warlingham, Surrey -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Illegal Flight |
| Departure airport: | Hamsey Green Airfield, Warlingham, Surrey |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
First registered [C of R 7480] on 7.12.36 as G-AEPX to Richard Taylor, Hamsey Green Airfield, Warlingham, Surrey. No C of A issued. G-AEPX was the brainchild of Mr Richard Taylor and was technically advanced (a monoplane without bracing struts) but also technically flawed, in that, as one commentator wrote "it had virtually nothing holding it together". On the 7.1.37 it took off [on its reportedly third flight] and almost immediately crashed, fatally injuring Mr Taylor. According to contemporary newspaper report on the inquest into the pilots death (Portsmouth Evening News - Thursday 14 January 1937)
"PLANE'S FAULTY DESIGN. WING FOLDED UP IN THE AIR.
A verdict of "Accidental death," due to the faulty design of the machine, was returned at the Caterham (Surrey) inquest to-day on Richard Taylor (40), a general engineer, of Riverside, Sunbury-on-Thames, who was killed when an aeroplane in which he was experimenting crashed at Warlingham.
Major J. P. C. Cooper, Air Ministry Inspector of Accidents, said that the flight appeared to be in contravention of the regulations. The pilot was not the holder of an 'A' licence, and the flight was not authorized by the issue of a permit.
Mr. Edgar Douglas Whiting, of Farleigh Road, Selsdon, chief engineer at Mr. Charles Gardner's private aerodrome at Kingswood Lane, Warlingham, said that before Taylor crashed, he had made a good take-off. He turned into the wind to land, the port wing folded up, and the machine plunged to earth.
Taylor had designed the plane and supervised its construction. It was the third flight he had made in it - a total of 15 to 20 minutes flying time. Major Cooper, who examined the machine after the crash, said that the port wing had failed during the flight, owing to a structural failure, which could only be attributed to weakness of design."
Registration G-AEPX cancelled by the Air Ministry 7.7.37 due to "destruction or permanent withdrawl from use of aircraft. It is worth noting that Richard Taylor had registered on the same day [7.12.36] a proposed small production run of four Taylor Experimental aircraft [G-AEPX/G-AEPY/G-AEPZ/G-AERA, c/nos TE.2 to TE.5, C of R 7480-7843 inclusive]. With the death of Mr. Taylor in the above accident, only G-AEPX was built, and the registrations of the other three aircraft were all cancelled 2.7.38
Sources:
1. Portsmouth Evening News - Thursday 14 January 1937
2. http://afleetingpeace.org/index.php/15-aeroplanes/79-register-gb-g-ae
3. https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-AEPX.pdf
4. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/gy/reg_G-A9.html
5. http://www.rcawsey.co.uk/Acc1937.htm
6. http://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=8039.0
7. http://aviadejavu.ru/Site/Crafts/Craft32534.htm#en
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 30-Jan-2018 22:17 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 22-Feb-2020 21:10 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 22-Feb-2020 21:15 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
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