Meopham air disaster

1930 crash caused by tailplane failure

Meopham air disaster

The passengers and crew in front of the Junkers aircraft, just prior to the aircraft's departure on the fatal flight. Pictured L-R: The Marquess of Dufferin, Mrs Sigrid Loeffler, Mrs Sarah Legh (did not fly), Sir Edward Ward, Viscountess Ednam, George Henderson (pilot). Leaning over the aircraft in the background is the co-pilot Charles Shearing

Accident
Date| 21 July 1930
Summary| Mechanical failure of tailplane
Site| near Meopham, Kent
Aircraft
Aircraft type| Junkers F.13ge
Operator| Walcot Air Line
Registration| G-AAZK
Flight origin| Le Touquet Airport, France
Destination| Croydon Airport, England
Passengers| 4
Crew| 2
Fatalities| 6
Survivors| 0

The Meopham Air Disaster occurred on 21 July 1930 when a Junkers F.13ge flying from Le Touquet to Croydon with two crew and four passengers crashed near Meopham, Kent, with the loss of all on board. The report of the inquiry into the accident was made public, the first time in the United Kingdom that an accident report had been published.

## Aircraft[edit]

The aircraft involved was Junkers F.13ge G-AAZK, c/n 2052. The aircraft had been registered on 26 May 1930.[1]

## Accident[edit]

The Junkers F.13ge registered G-AAZK, which was owned by the pilot Lieutenant-Colonel George Henderson, had been lent to the Walcot Air Line to operate a charter flight between Le Touquet in France and Croydon Airport south of London.[2] As the aircraft was above Kent it appeared to have disintegrated and crashed near the village green at Meopham, five miles (8 km) south of Gravesend. Witnesses reported a rumbling noise just before the crash[2] and that the aircraft emerged from a cloud and then broke apart in mid-air.[3] The crash happened at 2:35 pm.[4]

All the occupants except the pilot fell from the aircraft and ended up in an orchard, all of them dead.[2] The fuselage and one wing of the aircraft crashed close to a bungalow, whilst the other wing was found one mile (1.6 km) away.[2] The tail was found 300 yards (270 m) from the crash site in a field.[2] The engine fell into the drive of an unoccupied house, just missing a gardener working nearby.[2] One of the villagers rescued the co-pilot, Charles Shearing, from the wreckage and carried him into the bungalow. A retired surgeon who lived nearby was soon on the scene but Shearing died soon afterwards.[2]

## Passengers[edit]

Lord Dufferin and Ava

The passengers were the Marquess of Dufferin and Ava, Viscountess Ednam (formerly Lady Rosemary Sutherland-Leveson-Gower), sister of the 5th Duke of Sutherland, Sir Edward Simons Ward Bt and Mrs Sigrid Loeffler,[5] none of whom survived.

## Inquest[edit]

An inquest into the deaths was opened at Meopham Green on 23 July 1930.[5] After identification evidence for the victims and testimony from some of the witnesses had been heard the inquest was adjourned until August pending results from an Air Ministry Inquiry.[5]

The inquest resumed on 13 August and heard more reports from witnesses and technical evidence from the investigation.[6] The head of the Air Ministry investigation said the removal of parts of the wreckage for souvenirs had not helped his work.[6] The investigation had shown no evidence of faulty material or bad workmanship but it was clear that the port wing had folded or collapsed upwards where it joined the fuselage.[6] The engine and tail plane had broken away and the passengers were thrown out of the aircraft.[6] The coroner directed that as a government inquiry would be held then some of the technical details of the accident need not be heard.[6] The coroner could see no reason to further delay the verdict until after the inquiry by the Aeronautical Research Committee.[6] The jury returned a verdict "that the victims met their death falling from an aeroplane, the cause of the accident being unknown".[7]

## Investigation[edit]

The Junkers was an all-metal aircraft and had only flown about 100 hours since new. The flight was the third that day. Henderson had earlier flown his wife from Le Touquet to Croydon and had returned for four more passengers before going back again for the remaining four. Early indication showed that the port wing had become detached from the fuselage. The wreckage was removed to Croydon for investigation and four representatives from Junkers arrived from Germany.[5] The investigation was assisted by personnel from the Deutsche Versuchsanstalt für Luftfahrt, the National Physical Laboratory and the Royal Aircraft Establishment.[4]

Following the initial accident investigation an inquiry by the Accidents Investigation sub-committee of the Aeronautical Research Committee was opened on 3 September 1930.[8] The inquiry was held at Croydon Airport in private and the members inspected the wreckage.[8] The periodical Flight, in its issue dated 5 September 1930, called for the results of the investigation to be made public. It further called for all investigations into aircraft accidents to be made public. It also reported that representatives of some of the victims desired to ask questions at the inquiry. This was refused by Major Cooper, the Air Ministry inspector in charge of the investigation. Major Cooper stated that solicitors for the victims would each receive a copy of the report when it was published.[9]

The final report was issued in January 1931 and the committee concluded the cause to be the "failure of the tailplane under severe buffeting from air eddies produced by the centre section of certain low-wing monoplanes when the aircraft approaches the stalling attitude".[10]

They reported that the aircraft, flying in clouds, may have been thrown into an unusual attitude. This resulted in buffeting of the tailplane, causing the port tailplane to fail, and the aircraft entered a dive.[10] The flutter effect on the starboard tailplane caused it to fail next. The aircraft was moving at high speed and reached a stalling attitude, causing the port wing to break away.[10] The rapid angular acceleration caused the engine supports to break and the engine to fall away.[10] Nine other causes were investigated but dismissed by the committee.[10]

## References[edit]

Citations

1. ^ "Civil Aircraft Register, Great Britain, G-AAZA – G-ABKZ". Golden Years of Aviation. Archived from the original on 23 December 2010. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
2. ^ a b c d e f g "Mystery of the Air Disaster in Kent, Machine Falls in Pieces, Six Lives Lost". News. The Times. No. 45571\. London. 22 July 1930. col A, p. 14.
3. ^ "Six Killed in a Junkers Crash". Flight. No. 25 July 1930. pp. 851–52. (p851, p852)
4. ^ a b "The Meopham Accident". Flight. No. 7 November 1930. p. 1229.
5. ^ a b c d "The Kent Air Disaster Inquest Opened And Adjourned, Wreckage Removed To Croydon". News. The Times. No. 45573\. London. 24 July 1930. col A, p. 9.
6. ^ a b c d e f "The Kent Air Disaster Open Verdict at Inquest, "Cause Unknown"". News. The Times. No. 45591\. London. 14 August 1930. col E, p. 6.
7. ^ "The Meopham Disaster". Flight. No. 22 August 1930. p. 958.
8. ^ a b "Meopham Air Disaster Inquiry Begun in Private". News. The Times. No. 45609\. London. 4 September 1930. col D, p. 6.
9. ^ "Editorial Comment". Flight. No. 5 September 1930. pp. 983–84. (p983, p984)
10. ^ a b c d e "Meopham Air Disaster Tail Broken By Buffeting, The Junkers Machine". News. The Times. No. 45729\. London. 24 January 1931. col E, p. 12.

* v
* t
* e

Aviation accidents and incidents in 1930 (1930)

Jan 10

Air Union Farman Goliath crash

Jul 21

Meopham air disaster

Oct 5

R101 disaster

the 1920s  ◄ ► 1931

* v
* t
* e

Aviation accidents and incidents in the United Kingdom, British Crown Dependencies, and British Overseas Territories

Before
1910|

* Thomas Harris (May 1824)
* Cecil Shadbolt (July 1892)
* Percy Pilcher (October 1899)

1910s|

* Charles Rolls (July 1910)
* Cecil Grace (December 1910)
* Brooklands Flanders Monoplane (May 1912)
* Cody Floatplane (August 1913)
* Maxstoke (August 1918)
* Transatlantic flight of Alcock and Brown (June 1919)
* Airship N.S.11 (July 1919)

1920s|

* Golders Green Handley Page O/400 (December 1920)
* R38-class airship (June 1921)
* Air Union Farman Goliath (August 1923)
* Daimler Airway de Havilland DH.34 (September 1923)
* KLM Fokker F.III disappearance (April 1924)
* Imperial Airways de Havilland DH.34 (December 1924)
* Air Union Blériot 155 (August 1926)
* Air Union Blériot 155 (October 1926)
* KLM Fokker F.VIII (August 1927)
* Imperial Airways Handley Page W.10 (June 1929)
* Luft Hansa Junkers G 24 (November 1929)

1930s|

* Air Union Farman Goliath (February 1930)
* Meopham air disaster (July 1930)
* London, Scottish & Provincial Airways Airspeed Courier (September 1934)
* Hillman's Airways de Havilland Dragon Rapide (October 1934)
* SABENA Savoia-Marchetti S.73 (December 1935)
* Jersey Air Disaster (July 1936)
* KLM Croydon accident (December 1936)
* Edmonton air crash (September 1938)
* Jersey Airport disaster (November 1938)

1940s|

* Dunbeath air crash (August 1942)
* Ruislip Wellington accident (October 1942)
* RAF Hudson (May 1943)
* Gibraltar Liberator AL523 (July 1943)
* Moordown air disaster (March 1944)
* Freckleton air disaster (August 1944)
* USAAF Boeing B-17 on North Barrule (April 1945)
* Elvetham air crash (October 1945)
* Broadway Consolidated Liberator (November 1945)
* Railway Air Services Dakota (December 1946)
* BOAC Douglas C-47 (January 1947)
* Croydon Dakota accident (January 1947)
* Heathrow disaster (March 1948)
* Northwood mid-air collision (July 1948)
* KLM Constellation air disaster (October 1948)
* Exhall mid-air collision (February 1949)
* Manchester BEA Douglas DC-3 accident (August 1949)

1950s|

* Llandow air disaster (March 1950)
* Heathrow BEA Vickers Viking (October 1950)
* Ringway Dakota (March 1951)
* Aer Lingus C-47 accident (January 1952)
* Farnborough Airshow crash (September 1952)
* Little Rissington UFO incident (October 1952)
* Aldbury Valetta accident (January 1954)
* Swissair Convair CV-240 (June 1954)
* Prestwick air disaster (December 1954)
* Hawker Hunter multiple aircraft accident (February 1956)
* RAF Lakenheath nuclear near-disaster (July 1956)
* London Heathrow Avro Vulcan (October 1956)
* Sutton Wick air crash (March 1957)
* British European Airways Flight 411 (March 1957)
* Blackbushe Viking accident (May 1957)
* Nutts Corner BEA Viscount (October 1957
* Aquila Airways Solent (November 1957)
* Winter Hill air disaster (February 1958)
* London Vickers Viking accident (September 1958)
* Syerston Avro Vulcan (September 1958)
* BOAC Bristol Britannia (December 1958)
* Turkish Airlines Gatwick (February 1959)

1960s|

* Channel Airways Dakota accident (May 1962)
* BAC One-Eleven test crash (October 1963)
* British United Airways Flight 1030X (April 1965)
* Little Baldon air crash (July 1965)
* Skyways Coach-Air Avro 748 (July 1965)
* Cambrian Airways Liverpool (July 1965)
* Pan Am Flight 292 (September 1965)
* Felthorpe Trident crash (June 1966)
* Holden's Lightning flight (July 1966)
* Stockport air disaster (June 1967)
* Iberia Flight 062 (November 1967)
* Hawker Hunter Tower Bridge incident (April 1968)
* BOAC Flight 712 (April 1968)
* BKS Air Transport Flight C.6845 (July 1968)
* Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 (January 1969)
* 1969 theft of C-130 (May 1969)

1970s|

* British European Airways Flight 548 (June 1972)
* Court Line Flight 95 (April 1974)
* British Airways bombing attempt (July 1974)
* Norfolk mid-air collision (August 1974)
* Graham Hill plane crash (November 1975)
* British Airtours Boeing 707 crash (March 1977)
* British Army Gazelle downing (February 1978)
* Dan-Air Flight 0034 (July 1979)

1980s|

* Biggin Hill Invader crash (September 1980)
* Aer Lingus Flight 164 (May 1981)
* Dan-Air Flight 240 (June 1981)
* Bristow Helicopters Westland Wessex crash (August 1981)
* British Army Gazelle friendly fire incident (June 1982)
* British Airways Sikorsky S-61 crash (July 1983)
* Manchester Airport disaster (August 1985)
* Hindawi affair (April 1986)
* British Army Lynx shootdown (June 1988)
* British International Helicopters Sikorsky S-61N crash (July 1988)
* Pan Am Flight 103 (December 1988)
* template
* Kegworth air disaster (January 1989)

1990s|

* British Army Gazelle shootdown (February 1990)
* Scotland RAF Shackleton crash (April 1990)
* British Airways Flight 5390 (June 1990)
* Llyn Padarn helicopter crash (August 1993)
* British Army Lynx shootdown (March 1994)
* Mull of Kintyre Chinook crash (June 1994)
* Air Algérie Flight 702P (December 1994)
* Bristow Helicopters Flight 56C (January 1995)
* Royal Air Force Nimrod R1 ditching (May 1995)
* Knight Air Flight 816 (May 1995)
* Virgin Atlantic Flight 024 (November 1997)
* Edinburgh Air Charter Flight 3W (September 1999)
* Korean Air Cargo Flight 8509 (December 1999)

2000s|

* Loganair Flight 670A (February 2001)
* British Airways Flight 268 (February 2005)
* Loganair Islander accident (March 2005)
* Morecambe Bay Eurocopter AS365 crash (December 2006)
* Alderney UFO sighting (April 2007)
* British Airways Flight 38 (January 2008)
* Biggin Hill Cessna Citation crash (March 2008)

2010s|

* Vauxhall helicopter crash (January 2013)
* CHC Scotia Flight 23R (August 2013)
* Glasgow helicopter crash (November 2013)
* Haughey Air AgustaWestland AW139 crash (March 2014)
* Loganair Flight 6780 (December 2014)
* Blackbushe Phenom 300 crash (July 2015)
* Shoreham Airshow crash (August 2015)
* Leicester helicopter crash (October 2018)
* Gatwick Airport drone incident (December 2018)
* English Channel Piper PA-46 crash (January 2019)

Includes Crown dependencies and current overseas territories; this template excludes currently independent countries formerly a part of the British Empire, and this template also excludes Hong Kong

51°21′36″N 0°21′36″E﻿ / ﻿51.36000°N 0.36000°E﻿ / 51.36000; 0.36000
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template