ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 712
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| Date: | Saturday 29 April 1978 |
| Time: | 08:20 LT |
| Type: |  Piper PA-32R-300 Lance |
| Owner/operator: | Flyourself BV |
| Registration: | PH-PLY |
| MSN: | 32R-7780314 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 6 / Occupants: 6 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Holly Hill, near Snodland, Kent -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Schiphol International Airport, Amsterdam, Netherlands (EHAM) |
| Biggin Hill Airport, Biggin Hill, Bromley, Kent (BQH/EGKB) | |
| Investigating agency: | AIB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Piper PA-32R-300 Lance PH-PLY: Written off (destroyed) 29 April 1978 en-route between Schipol Airport, Amsterdam, Netherlands. The pilot flew with five passengers towards Biggin Hill in South East England. The last part of the route led over hilly terrain and During this part the weather had deteriorated significantly.
In order to maintain ground visibility, the pilot asked for clearance to descend to 1500 feet, and later to 1000 feet. The clearance to 1500 feet was granted to him, but flying below 1500 feet was left to his own discretion.
Five minutes after the passing the Detling-VOR beacon, the aircraft when operating at ca. 500 feet height, the aircraft flew into high ground approximately 550 feet high, on a steeply rising south-eastern slope of the North Downs.
The AAIB Investigated the crash and produced a report (see link #4). It concluded that the cause of the crash was the pilot's decision to descend lower, to get below the cloud, in an area of high ground, when he did not have charts of a sufficiently large scale to enable him effectively to navigate thereby at low altitude, rather than turning back to his departure point or diverting to another airfield. Thus he was below the tops of the North Downs in poor visibility and when the escarpement of Holly Hill loomed before him, he had neither the time nor the space to avoid it. Instead he flew into it and six lives were lost.
All six persons on board (pilot and five passengers) were killed, but there was no fire on impact. A contemporary newspaper report identifies that there were six fatalities, all of whom were Dutch citizens ("Aberdeen Press and Journal" - Monday 01 May 1978)
"Plane crash victims
THE six people killed when their light aircraft crashed into a hill near Rochester, Kent on Saturday were identified by police yesterday. They were all Dutch. Police appealed for anyone who might able throw light why the men were flying from Amsterdam to Biggin Hill to contact them.
The plane, a Piper Lance, apparently plunged into the tops of trees on a hill near Snodland in foggy conditions. The Board of Trade have started an investigation and an inquest will be held".
While the above report does not name the fatalities, contemporary Netherlands newspapers did. They identified the pilot as C.Molenaar, and his passengers as J.W.Kreeft, G. van Eijk, C.J.Fokker, C.W.Pannekoek and J.J. van der Wal.
Netherlands registration PH-PLY cancelled 5 November 1978
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
1. Aberdeen Evening Express - Saturday 29 April 1978
2. Sunday Mirror - Sunday 30 April 1978
3. Aberdeen Press and Journal - Monday 01 May 1978
4. AAIB: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5422f355ed915d1374000465/1-1979_PH-PLY.pdf
5. http://www.hdekker.info/Nieuwe%20map/1978.htm#29.04.1978
6. http://www.hdekker.info/registermap/MP.htm
7. https://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=17555.0
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dode,_Kent#History_and_location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 21-Jan-2008 10:00 | ASN archive | Added |
| 07-Mar-2008 11:10 | harro | Updated |
| 20-Mar-2011 08:20 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source] |
| 15-Jul-2015 21:02 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 04-Jun-2016 14:52 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 15-Nov-2020 20:07 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Accident report] |
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