ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 221325
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| Date: | Monday 23 April 1917 |
| Time: | day |
| Type: | Coastal Class Airship |
| Owner/operator: | Royal Naval Air Service |
| Registration: | C11 |
| MSN: | 11 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 6 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Location: | Olivers Mount, Scarborough, North Yorkshire -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RNAS Howden, East Yorkshire |
| RNAS Howden, East Yorkshire | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
23.4.17: His Majesty's 'Coastal' Class airship C11, RNAS, Howden. Substantially damaged when hit hilltop in fog, at Oliver's Mount, Scarborough. North Yorkshire. One of the crew of six was killed, the other five were injured. The C.11 airship was built at Kingsnorth, Isle of Grain, Kent. It began trials on 9th June 1916 before being flown to Howden from Kingsnorth on 26th June 1916 and it damaged a propeller when landing at Howden. It was repaired and used at Howden until the accident at Scarborough. After the incident at Scarborough, and although badly damaged it was taken away and rebuilt as C.11a at Kingsnorth.
It was badly damaged again when it crashed into the River Humber on 21st July 1917 and this time four of the then crew drowned. The wreckage was again recovered and repaired before finally struck off charge in March 1918. Arthur Higham and his father were awarded Royal Humane Society Awards for rescuing two of the crew of the C.11 in the Humber
On 23rd April 1917 this Coastal Class Airship, the C11, had taken off from Howden at 08.50hrs to undertake a North Sea patrol, it was returning from this patrol and was flying in the Scarborough area when it struck the hillside close to Scarborough racecourse whilst flying in thick fog which blanketed the Yorkshire coast at the time. The captain of the airship ordered his crew to climb the airship to try and avoid the hill but the tail dropped and it clipped the top of the hill. The tail skid of the airship broke away, taking with it the after engine and controls, the engineer's seat and the engineer. The ship was then 1,000 lbs lighter and ascended rapidly and continued on it's way for a short time as the remaining crew tried to release the gas, presumably to force land. The balloon ripped and the C11 crashed again soon after, in the Olivers Mount area. The crew left on board were recorded as being slightly injured but at least one must have sustained serious injuries as he died a few days later.
The flight engineer escaped serious injury and walked to the nearest telephone to contact his base, given the era there would not have been many in the area and it is believed that he found the nearest post office and rang Howden to inform them what had happened. The immortal message of "have landed safely with engine. Request further instructions" was sent! The C11 airship and three others, the C4, C19 and C21, where nick-named "The Howden Pigs"
Captain - Flight Lt Edward Keith Henry Turnour RNAS (36032). Suffered broken legs.
Coxwain - (Possibly) Flight Sub-Lt William Edward McConnell RNAS. Suffered broken legs.
Wireless Operator - (Possibly) Probationary Flying Officer Edward David Bachelor Russell RNAS. Suffered internal injuries.
Engineer - Name unknown. Suffered a broken arm and shock. (Possibly Arthur Leonard Rowland Yapp).
Wireless Operator - Air Mechanic Christopher Frederick Kidd RNAS (Service Number F/5004). Injured.
Air Mechanic 1st Class Percy Dear RNAS (Service Number F/5426), aged 22, of Clive Vale Nursery, Impington, Cambridge. Died 28th April 1917, buried Histon Road Cemetery, Cambridge
Sources:
1. http://www.rcawsey.co.uk/Acc1917.htm
2. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/344305/dear,-percy/
3. http://www.yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk/aircraft/planes/ryedale/c11.html
4. http://www.rafcommands.com/archive/04557.php
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coastal_class_airship
6. http://www.historicalhowden.com/rnas
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 30-Jan-2019 20:41 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 20-Mar-2022 06:45 | Ron Averes | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator] |
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