Date:	Wednesday 7 November 1934
Time:	16:30 LT
Type:	de Havilland DH.60X Moth
Owner/operator:	Portsmouth Southsea & Isle of Wight Aviation Ltd
Registration:	G-AAAG
MSN:	697
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Solent Estuary, 1 mile off Spitbank Fort, Spithead, Hampshire -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Private
Departure airport:	Portsmouth Airport, Portsmouth, Hampshire
Destination airport:

Narrative:
C/no 697 DH.60X [Cirrus II] registered as G-AAAG [C of R 1721] 8.28 to The De Havilland Aircraft Co Ltd; operated by DH School of Flying, Stag Lane. C of A 1577 issued 22.8.28. Sold 26.2.29 & registered 1.3.29 to Lucien R Niewenhuizen, Brooklands; also operated by The Brooklands School of Flying. Registered [C of R 2304] 26.10.29 to Joseph R King, Brooklands [an instructor with Brooklands School of Flying].

Re-registered [C of R 2379] 15.1.30 to Inland Flying Services Ltd, Shanklin. Change of name 1931 to Wight Aviation Ltd, Shanklin. Change of name 30.4.32 to Portsmouth, Southsea & Isle of Wight Aviation Ltd; later operated by Portsmouth Aero Club, Portsmouth.

Crashed into The Solent Estuary, off Spithead, Hampshire 7.11.34; both crew (John Cash (aged 34) and Keith Randall (aged 19) were killed. According to a contemporary newspaper report ("Portsmouth Evening News - Thursday 08 November 1934

DOUBLE AIR TRAGEDY AT SPITHEAD
Pilot & Passenger Dead
PORTSMOUTH MACHINE CRASHES INTO THE SEA

As announced in our late editions last evening, an aeroplane belonging to the Portsmouth Aero Club crashed into the sea near Spit Fort just before 4.30 yesterday afternoon, the pilot (Mr. John Cash) and his passenger (Mr. Ronald Keith Randall) losing their lives.

Mr. Cash was a member of the firm of Peto and Cash, motor dealers, of London Road, Portsmouth, He was 36 years of age, and leaves a widow and five children living at Finisterre, Southampton Road, Paulsgrove. He learnt to fly at Salisbury, and had about 50 hours' flying experience as a pilot.

Vain Effort to Get Out of a Spin
Mr. Randall was a youth of 19, his home being at 11, Whitwell Road. He was studying for a career in the Royal Air Force. As a boy he attended Portsmouth Grammar School. Both Mr. Cash and his passenger were fellow members of the Albatross Motor-Cycling Club.

The machine in which they met their death was a Moth, and it had taken off from the Municipal Airport earlier in the afternoon. Later it was seen to be flying at a good height over Spithead and was next observed in the gathering mist of the autumn evening to have developed a spin about a mile from Spit Fort.

Pilot's Vain Effort
The pilot appeared to attempt to flatten out, but failed to do so in time to prevent the machine diving into the sea and temporarily disappearing in a shower of spray. The accident was observed from the shore and several craft in the vicinity, including the motor fishing boat Skylark, the skipper of which (Mr. J. R. Brice) immediately headed his craft to the scene of the mishap. He reached the spot where the machine entered the water in minutes and found the wreckage floating.

Body in Wreckage
With the assistance of others in the motor-boat Mr. Brice partly raised the ill-fated 'plane and discovered the body of Mr. Cash. He had received severe injuries and was dead. There was no trace of the youth Randall.

Mr. Cash's body was taken on board the Skylark and landed at Clarence Pier, from where it was conveyed to the mortuary.

The wrecked machine, which had been towed by the Skylark, was taken to the Camber, where it was hoisted out of the water by means of a crane. The engine was missing and there was no trace of the remains of Randall.

Eye Witnesses Stories
All that was seen of the disaster was told to an "Evening News" representative by eye witnesses on the Esplanade.

"We saw the plane stunting over Southsea," said one man, "and later it glided over towards the Island. Then it seemed to go into a "falling leaf." It came out of that but could not seem to recover and all we saw then was the machine dive straight into the sea. Several fishing boats cruising in the vicinity and some tugs went to the spot"

Mr. J. R. Brice, the skipper of the motor-boat Skylark, which was off Spit Fort with a fishing party, continued the tragic story later. "We saw the 'plane dive into the water practically vertically," he said, "and in ten minutes we were at the spot, which was about a mile east of the Spit Fort. We saw the wreckage floating on the water and when we tipped it up, we saw the body, and took it into the boat. We tried artificial respiration, but it was obviously useless."

The Skylark, towing the wreckage, came into Clarence Pier about 6 p.m., having identified the body by means of the pilot's aeronautical licence. The police ambulance was summoned, and the Police Surgeon (Dr. H. H. Fisk) certified death, the body being conveyed to the mortuary. Sir Charles Rose, and Mr. M. Whitts, of the Aero Club, were also present.

Nothing was discovered of Randall's body, and it was thought that it may still be entangled in the wreckage of the 'plane, which had lost its engine and propeller. On taking it ashore in the Camber, however, no trace was found of the youth.

His First Flight
Mr. Randall, who was 19 years of age, was the only son of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Randall, of 11, Whitwell Road, Southsea. A former student of the Portsmouth Grammar School, he was studying with a local tutor for the Royal Air Force College, Cranwell. The fatal flight was his first trip in a 'plane, though he was intensely interested in all motoring matters, and had made something of a name for himself in motor-cycling circles, as had Mr. Cash. Both were members of the Albatross Motor Club, and "Paddy" Cash, as he was known, was the Southern Centre A.C.U. champion motor-cyclist last year. This year that title was nearly obtained by Randall, riding under the name of R. Keith, who himself won the 350 c.c. open race.

By a coincidence, Mr. Randall was wearing the air helmet of a namesake, Mr. Percy Randall, of the Plaza Garage, who was no relation, but who had lent the dead youth his helmet just before the flight"

The crash location was one mile from Spitbank Fort (or Spitsand Fort or Spit Sand Fort or simply Spit Fort) is a sea fort built as a result of the 1859 Royal Commission. The fort is one of four built as part of the Palmerston Forts constructions. Located in the Solent, near Portsmouth, England, and is now a luxury hotel.

Aircraft presumably declared a write off, as registration cancelled 31.12.1934 due to "destruction or permanent withdrawal from use of aircraft"

Crashed into sea, off Spithead 7.11.34. My grandfather, Gerard Alsem, was a KLM flight-engineer from 1929 onwards. This photo was in his possession.

1. Gerard Alsem (dec. 29 January 1981, Dutch Wikipedia: https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerard_Alsem)
2. British Civil Aircraft Registers 1919-1999
Compiled by Michael Austen
Air Britain (Historians) Ltd 1999
ISBN 0 85130 281 5
3. Portsmouth Evening News - Thursday 08 November 1934
4. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/gy/reg_G-A.html
5. https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-AAAG.pdf
6. https://ab-ix.co.uk/pdfs/dh60.pdf
7. http://www.rcawsey.co.uk/Acc1934.htm
8. https://www.afleetingpeace.org/index.php/gb-registers-g-aa/g-aa-part-1?highlight=WyJnLWFhYWciXQ==
9. http://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=15494.0
10. http://www.hampshireairfields.co.uk/hancrash.html
11. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/p006.html
12. https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-de-havilland-dh60x-moth-spithead-2-killed
13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spitbank_Fort

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
27-Sep-2008 01:00	ASN archive	Added
16-Jun-2009 08:34	flyingd	Updated
18-Jun-2009 03:56	Anon.	Updated
23-Jan-2010 10:49	John Baker	Updated [Date, Aircraft type, Cn, Location, Source, Narrative]
30-Oct-2012 07:25	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Phase, Nature, Source, Damage, Narrative]
30-Oct-2012 07:27	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Departure airport, Source]
24-May-2018 23:00	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Location, Source, Narrative]
29-Feb-2020 18:37	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
29-Feb-2020 18:39	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
29-Feb-2020 18:40	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
05-Nov-2023 09:05	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative, Category]