ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 351978
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Saturday 24 August 1940 |
| Time: | 17:30 LT |
| Type: |  de Havilland DH.60GIII Moth Major |
| Owner/operator: | Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Force Air Unit |
| Registration: | VR-HCU |
| MSN: | 5133 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Kai Tak Airport, Kai Tak -
 Hong Kong
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | Kai Tak Airport, Kai Tak, Hong Kong (HKG/VHHH) |
| Kai Tak Airport, Kai Tak, Hong Kong (HKG/VHHH) | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
c/no. 5133 DH 60 GIII Moth Major [Gipsy Major engine#5951]. To Aircraft China Ltd, Hong Kong with C of A 4721 issued 4.3.35. Registered VR-HCU [C of R 73] 26.4.35 to The Far East Flying Training School Ltd, Hong Kong. To Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Force Air Unit with effect from 11.35. Registration VR-HCU cancelled 30.4.38 as 'lapsed' (may have taken up a military serial instead? If so, none so far known).
Crashed at Kai Tak Airport, Kai Tak, Hong Kong 24.8.40; pilot Brain Maurice Hayes survived but injured, passenger George Herbert Fowler killed. The crash and the funeral were reported in the local newspapers, Hong Kong Daily Press, 26 August 1940 page 8:
FATAL AIR CRASH AT KAI TAK ON SATURDAY
WELL-KNOWN LOCAL SPORTSMAN KILLED
Returning to Kai Tak Aerodrome from training and patrol duty on Saturday afternoon, a two-seater Moth Major, belonging to the Far East Flying Training School, crashed into the roadway skirting the aerodrome, bringing' death to one of her crew of two.
Killed instantly, as the. plane hit the road, was Cadet George Herbert Fowler, 29, of the Volunteer Air Arm. It was the first major accident in thousands of flying hours by Flight Cadets since the formation of, the Volunteer Air Arm over seven years ago.
Cadet Fowler’s pilot companion. Brian Maurice Hynes, 22, who was in the rear cockpit and presum ably at the controls, escaped with minor injuries.
RETURNING TO KAI TAK
The machine was returning to Kai Tak after taking off earlier in the afternoon for training and patrol duty. It crashed from a low height after coming in from the sea and nose-dived into the road.
The accident occurred shortly after 5.30 p.m. when the machine was observed making her way back to the landing field. After an apparently quite normal descent to where she was just about to swing over the gate entrance to land on the flying field, the plane crashed into the roadside near the entrance to the aerodrome.
CRUSHED BY ENGINE
The engine was crushed into the fuselage and Cadet Fowler, who was in the front cockpit, received the full shock of the crash. Ambulances and fire engines were rushed immediately to the scene of the accident but fortunately no fire broke out.
Mr. Fowler was found in the cockpit. He was beyond medical aid. Mr. Hynes escaped with minor external injuries. He was admitted to the Kowloon Hospital suffering also from shock, where his condition was described as fair.
There was no traffic passing along the road at the time or the crash and the thoroughfare was clear of pedestrians. It Is believed that either the machine stalled or the pilot lost control of the plane".
Remarkably, this incident marked the first major fatal accident involving Flight Cadets in over seven years of flying hours since the formation of the Volunteer Air Arm
Sources:
1. Hong Kong Daily Press, 26 August 1940 page 8:
2. https://www.ab-ix.co.uk/pdfs/dh60.pdf
3. https://www.afleetingpeace.org/index.php/page-other-registers/vo-vp-vr?highlight=WyJ2ci1oY3UiXQ==
4. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/p051.html
5. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/gy/reg_VR-H.html
6. https://gwulo.com/node/29712
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kai_Tak_Airport#1925_to_1930s
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 25-Feb-2024 01:13 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation