Date:	Saturday 4 June 1927
Time:	day
Type:	De Havilland DH.37A
Owner/operator:	Alan Samuel Butler (regd. owner)
Registration:	G-EBDO
MSN:	43
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Ensbury Park Racecourse, Bournemouth -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.)
Nature:	Demo/Airshow/Display
Departure airport:
Destination airport:
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
The D.H.37 was designed by De Havilland for Alan Samuel Butler as a three-seat touring aircraft for his travelling around Europe. At the same time as he ordered it, his investment gave DeHavilland's the chance to purchase its premises thereby gaining the much needed security for the future. Alan Butler subsequently became chairman of the company, a post he retained until his retirement in 1950.

The D.H.37 was powered by a Rolls-Royce Falcon III engine acquired from the Aircraft Disposal Company. Construction was of wood with ply-covered fuselage and fabric flying surfaces. The two passengers were located in a cockpit in front of the pilot, with a sliding hatch which could be closed when it was unoccupied.

Registered G-EBDO on 22/6/1922 (C of R 867), Alan Butler's D.H.37 was named "Sylvia" after his sister, and it performed well with an endurance 5.5 hours, a cruising speed of 105 mph (168 kmh) and it could climb to 10,000 ft (3,050 m) in 11 minutes. The aircraft was therefore also suitable for sporting events as well as touring, gaining fifth place in the 1922 King' s Cup and third place in 1924 and 1925 in the same race.

The Falcon engine was replaced in 1926 by a 30 lb (13.6 kg) lighter A.D.C. (Aircraft Disposals Company) Nimbus engine which developed an additional 25 hp. In this form it became the D.H.37A, named "Lois" after Butler's wife, and its performance in races was much improved. Regrettably it was written off in a crash on 4/6/1927 when stalled on turn during race practice, Ensbury Park Racecourse, Bournemouth, while practicing for an air race, killing one of the two persons on board, and injuring the other:

Claude St John Plevins (passenger, aged 24) killed
Major Harold Hemming (pilot) injured

Flight magazine of 9 June 1927 reported this accident as follows:

'Tragedy cast its shadows over the aerodrome at Ensbury Park race course this morning, already before the Bournemouth Whitsun Meeting had commenced, a serious crash having occurred during the morning, which was later to prove fatal to the passenger of the machine involved, and which resulted in injuries to the pilot. The writer of these notes did not witness the accident, but accounts collected from a number of eye-witnesses appear to indicate that what happened was as follows. Major H. Hemming, Managing Director of the Aircraft Operating Company, was taking off for a test flight in Mr. Alan Butler's De. H. 37 (300 h.p. A.D.C. " Nimbus"), with Mr. Claude St. John Plevins as passenger.

Almost immediately the machine began to climb it appeared to sideslip, and commenced a left-hand turn. All might have been well, had it not been for a metal girder framework in front of the enclosures. This obstacle, which forms the scoring board during the races, caught the end of one of the wings, which was torn away by the impact and left hanging on the framework, the machine of course swerving sharply to the left, and crashing into some wooden railings in front of the enclosures, tore these up for a distance of several yards, the machine ultimately crashing into the ground. The engine was torn away from the rest of the wreckage, and the machine itself, a tangled mass of wood and fabric, was lying upside down.

Fortunately, the dreaded fire did not occur, and it was possible to extricate the two occupants, who were rushed off to hospital. For a time it was feared that both might succumb to their injuries, but although Mr. Plevins died later, the latest reports are that Major Hemming was not as seriously injured as was at first supposed, and is considered now to be out of danger. No bones were apparently broken, but Major Hemming received injuries to head and face, and it is gathered that there is considerable risk that he may lose the sight of one eye.

After this very sad beginning, it would have required a very brilliant meeting to overcome the gloom which the morning's tragedy had cast over the proceedings, and it must be admitted at once that the day's events did not succeed in achieving that end. Somehow, although there were numerous entries, and some excellent piloting, the end of the day left one with a feeling of disappointment. Doubtless the morning's tragedy may have had something to do with this, but even apart from that there was an absence of life and go about the meeting which was aggravated by long waits between events, during which nothing happened, and we are more certain than ever that in the future different programmes will have to be arranged if the interest in flying meetings is to be maintained.'

So it would appear that rather than stalling and crashing off a turn or hitting a scoreboard on take-off - both of which accounts can be described as correct in part - the crash was caused by G-EBDO failing to avoid the runners/riders/results board, after side slipping on take-off.

Registration G-EBDO cancelled 26/7/1927 due to "destruction or permanent withdrawl from use of aircraft"

1. Mr Alan Butler. Obituary, The Times, Wednesday, May 27, 1987; pg. 18; Issue 62779
2. Flight magazine of 9 June 1927
3. Illustrated London News - Saturday 11 June 1927
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Havilland_DH.37
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Samuel_Butler
6. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/gy/reg_G-E2.html
7. http://www.rcawsey.co.uk/Acc1929.htm
8. http://1000aircraftphotos.com/Contributions/11652.htm
9. https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-EBDO.pdf
10. http://afleetingpeace.org/index.php/15-aeroplanes/82-register-gb-g-eb
11. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/p000.html
12. http://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=15487.0

Scale model of the de Havilland DH.37A biplane, G-EBDO, on display at the Shuttleworth Collection, Bedfordshire

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
15-Jun-2018 17:29	Dr. John Smith	Added
15-Jun-2018 17:32	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative]
29-Feb-2020 17:40	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator, Source, Narrative]