ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 234625
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| Date: | Saturday 30 August 1913 |
| Time: | day |
| Type: | Breguet Biplane |
| Owner/operator: | Mr.A Debussy |
| Registration: | 213 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Bray near Maidenhead, Berkshire -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Hendon Aerodrome, Hendon, Middlesex |
| Farnborough Airfield, Farnborough, Hampshire | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Emergency landing due to an engine failure. Lost control at 30 metres trying to avoid trees and crashed at Bray, near Maidenhead, Berkshire, badly injuring the pilot Mr. A Debussy and his two passengers de Mr. H deHavilland and Mr. R Goodman-Crouch.
To refresh memories on the Flight report of the crash:
“The Maidenhead Smash. It was tragical that after his success in the Speed Contest at Hendon on Saturday Debussy should have met with disaster later in the afternoon when taking the machine across to Farnborough. He started from Hendon on the Breguet with Mr. H. de Havilland, who only recently qualified for his brevet, and Mr. R. G. Crouch, of the Breguet Company, as passengers, at about half-past five and all went well until over Maidenhead, when the engine began to give trouble, subsequently found to be due to a broken exhaust-valve. As the engine stopped, the pilot apparently tried to plane down into a field near Bray, but from a height of 60 feet, the machine, after flattening out, dived into a field of marigolds. All three occupants were seriously injured, Mr. Debussy sustaining concussion of the brain and a bad sprain of the right ankle, Mr. de Havilland had his left arm fractured, while Mr. Crouch had his right leg broken, both the latter being also cut and bruised a good deal.”
So no one in the aircraft was in the RFC. M.A. Debussy (pilot) was employed by Breguet Aeroplane Limited to demonstrate the type in competitions at Hendon, and R.G. Crouch was a company employee also. Hereward de Havilland had recently gained his ticket on a Caudron at the Ewen School, and may have been a potential customer ?
Therefore, it seems more likely that the aircraft was a company demonstrator.
Sources:
1. Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant, 1 September 1913
2. https://www.crossandcockade.com/cciforum/post.asp?post=176&title=Breguet+Tin+Whistle+2
3. https://flyingmachines.ru/Site2/Crafts/Craft28590.htm
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bray,_Berkshire
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 01-Apr-2020 10:40 | Cobar | Added |
| 09-Jul-2021 20:30 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Registration, Other fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category] |
| 09-Jul-2021 20:32 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Operator, Narrative] |
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