ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 240044
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| Date: | Tuesday 31 July 1973 |
| Time: | afternoon |
| Type: |  Beagle B.121 Pup Series 1 |
| Owner/operator: | Three Counties Aero Club Limited |
| Registration: | G-AXIC |
| MSN: | B121-082 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Cockshot Wood, Keswick, Allerdale, Cumberland -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Blackbushe Hampshire (BBS/EGLK) |
| Blackbushe Hampshire (BBS/EGLK) | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Beagle 121 Pup G-AXIC: Written off (destroyed) 31st July 1973 when deliberately flown into the ground at Cockshot Wood, Keswick, Cumberland in a "suicide by 'plane" incident
The pilot involved was on police bail and was due to appear in court to face fraud charges involving his employer. The incident occurred on Tuesday, 31st July 1973. Earlier in the day the pilot had hired the Beagle Pup from Blackbushe airfield. The pilot had written a notes stating that he was going to kill himself and telephoned his wife to say that he was going to fly an aircraft into Tower Bridge in London. She contacted the police who had cleared the area of traffic by the time the aircraft had arrived in the vicinity. The aircraft was seen to fly between the towers of Tower Bridge twice and also at low level between tower blocks in central London before heading north.
Later in the day the aircraft was seen flying around the Keswick area, witnesses estimated it dived towards the ground from around 1,500 feet at full power. It crashed into trees beside the lakeside car park at Cockshot Wood killing the pilot.
Pilot - Mr Peter William James Martin, aged 27, of Hampstead, North London. Burial location unknown.
Numerous sources appear to incorrectly state the pilot's name as being Paul Martin. The English death register states his name as Peter Martin. The newspapers of the day stated that he had served in the British military and as a former Royal Marine. This also appears not to be totally correct. One likely person that fits is a Peter William James Martin (Service Number 484908) who passed out of Sandhurst Academy as 2nd Lt in Royal Regiment of Artillery on 15th December 1967 and was promoted to Lt on 15th June 1969 but who then resigned his commission on 2nd August 1971.
Registration G-AXIC formally cancelled by the CAA on 28 February 1974 as "PWFU" ("Permanently Withdrawn From Use")
Sources:
1. http://www.yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk/aircraft/lakes/axic.html
2. https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-AXIC.pdf
3. Multiple photos of G-AXIC: https://www.flickr.com/photos/188778215@N02/sets/72157714629277407
4. https://getoutside.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/local/cockshot-wood-allerdale-ca125dj
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 15-Aug-2020 14:48 | ccops | Added |
| 15-Aug-2020 14:48 | harro | Updated [Operator] |
| 10-Sep-2020 17:59 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Other fatalities, Location, Source, Narrative] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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