Date:	Tuesday 16 May 1967
Time:	day
Type:	Taylor JT.1 Titch
Owner/operator:	John Franklin Taylor
Registration:	G-ATYO
MSN:	JFT.1
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Southend Airport, Southend-on-Sea, Essex -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Take off
Nature:	Test
Departure airport:	Southend Airport, Southend-on-Sea, Essex (EGMC)
Destination airport:
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
The Taylor Titch is a British fixed-wing homebuilt aircraft, developed in the 1960s by J.F. Taylor. Taylor built the prototype, registered G-ATYO, at Leigh-on-Sea, Essex between 1965 and 1966. The Titch first flew at Southend Airport on 4 January 1967.

The designer John Taylor was killed when the prototype Titch crashed at Southend on 16 May 1967. According to an article in "Pilot" magazine written by the son of John Taylor:

"With Christmas over, the first flight took place on 4 January 1967. Just twenty minutes or so with dad at the controls; the same morning as another adventurous person, Donald Campbell made his fastest-ever run in Bluebird K7. Two weeks later the Titch performed for the cameras, after which the low oil pressure problem was rectified and testing progressed nicely. Most evenings we would be at the airport by twenty past four and he would be taxying out before five o’clock for a thirty-minute flight or so.

Sadly this was to change dramatically in May. Dad was seen practising stalls, which led to a spin, then a dive into a field north of the airport, from which he did not survive. Incredibly, viewed by today’s standards, I was taken to the crash site the very next morning to answer questions from two accident inspectors while it was still fresh in my mind. How times have changed. But there are some important lessons to be learned here, at the risk of appearing slightly critical of my dad’s own pathway.

Firstly, his logbook reveals very little flying during the construction period; secondly, why didn’t he get it tested by someone else, as with the Mono? Thirdly, and this is the most difficult one, stalling was being carried out at 1,500ft−half the recommended height for tests of this nature. Why, we shall never know, but hopefully this may be of some help to others.

The Titch was assessed at Farnborough and thankfully cleared of any fault. One of the next available examples was flight-tested by them, put through aerobatics, taken to 6g, found to have good spin recovery in either direction, and declared perfectly safe for this type of aeroplane".

Registration G-ATYO cancelled by the CAA on 16 May 1967 as "destroyed".

1. CAA: https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-ATYO.pdf
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AVIA 101/516: Branch investigation: AIB memorandum on accident, Inspector's record of investigation, witness statements and correspondence https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C5070526
3. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AVIA 101/517: Examination of wreckage: report of examination https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C5070527
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylor_Titch
5. John F. Taylor in the first prototype Titch GATYO, 1967, Southend- on-Sea Airport, UK: http://www.taylortitch.co.uk/images/thumbs/terryplanefinal.jpg
6. https://www.pilotweb.aero/features/fifty-years-of-the-taylor-titch-1-5282757

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
29-Nov-2020 21:18	Dr. John Smith	Added