1957 Sutton Wick Beverley accident
Encyclopedia
The Sutton Wick air crash occurred on 5 March 1957, when a Blackburn Beverley C Mk 1
heavy transport aircraft, serial number
XH117, of 53 Squadron
Royal Air Force
, crashed in the village of Sutton Wick
, Drayton, Berkshire, England, near RAF Abingdon
, Abingdon
, following the failure of two of its four engines. After take-off, No.
1 engine
failed, and shortly before impact, whilst on final approach
back to Abingdon, No. 2 engine failed to respond to throttle inputs. The aeroplane was unable to reach Abingdon, and struck cables and trees 18 minutes after lifting off.
Of the seventeen passengers and five crew on board, all but four died in the accident. In addition, two people on the ground near where the aircraft crashed were also killed. A subsequent investigation found that a non-return valve in the fuel system had been installed backwards, causing the engines to be starved of fuel
. The technician found responsible for fitting the valve was charged under the Air Force Act. Two men who participated in the rescue efforts following the crash were highly praised for "refusing to give up while there was hope of finding survivors among the wreckage." Following the accident, the design of the valve that had been installed incorrectly was changed so that it could not be installed in such a way.
, George Ward
, stated that the crash took place on 5 March 1957. The Beverley departed RAF Abingdon
, a base that had been used as a training station for RAF Bomber Command
throughout the Second World War, bound for RAF Akrotiri
in Cyprus. The weather was low overcast at 500 feet (152.4 m), visibility was less than 1000 feet (304.8 m), and there was an easterly wind of 10 knots (5.4 m/s). The aeroplane was carrying freight, a relief crew and eight RAF policemen
with their dogs
. As the aircraft was ascending, No. 1 engine on the port wing developed a fuel leak. The flight crew responded by feathering the engine, a process that involves rotating the propeller blades parallel to the airflow
in order to reduce drag
on the airframe and increase efficiency
. The flight crew declared an emergency
and requested a blind approach
back to Abingdon, upon which the controller
in contact with the aeroplane alerted emergency services on the ground.
A short time later, cockpit instruments alerted the flight crew to a large loss of fuel from No. 2 fuel tank
—which was powering engine No.1—the second of four such tanks in the port wing of the aeroplane. In an effort to stop the leak, the crew deactivated the fuel cocks
and boosters for the No. 2 tank, but left them on for the No. 1 tank on the port side. As the Beverley turned on to the final approach for Abingdon the crew applied power to the remaining three Bristol Centaurus
engines, but No. 2 engine—also on the port wing—failed to respond, and the aeroplane began to lose speed and height. Knowing he could not make the airfield, the captain tried to land the aircraft in an open field. However, the aircraft became uncontrollable and struck a number of high tension cables and some trees, which tore the port side wing from the fuselage. Upon impact with the ground, the aircraft destroyed a caravan and a prefabricated house
, before somersaulting and landing upside down.
The aircraft crashed at 11:00 am, 18 minutes after take-off, near the village of Sutton Wick, 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Abingdon. The tail section of the aircraft landed in a farm house near the main wreckage, trapping a woman in the kitchen of the building. She was later freed by emergency workers. The aircraft, which was carrying a large amount of fuel for the flight to Cyprus, instantly caught fire upon crashing. A newspaper reported: "Wreckage was scattered over threequarters of a mile. The force of the explosion sent the main part of the giant plane's fuselage and tailplane tearing back over the field into the farmyard, carrying with it an inferno of blazing petrol and debris." Emergency workers worked for several hours to free trapped people from the charred fuselage. Ultimately, two civilians in a prefabricated building on the ground, three crew, 15 passengers, and a number of RAF Police dogs were killed in the initial impact and the post-crash fire. However, two of the crew and two passengers survived. One RAF Police dog was also found alive in the wreckage.
A Board of Inquiry investigated the crash and found that the accident was caused by the loss of power from No. 1 and No. 2 engines, both mounted on the port wing of the aircraft. George Ward told the House of Commons that "the four fuel tanks on the port side of the Beverley feed into a collector box from which the two port engines are fed. From the available evidence, including inspections of part of the aircraft's fuel system, it is clear that a non-return valve between No. 1 (port) tank and the collector box had been fitted in reverse and that the fuel supply from Nos. 3 and 4 (port) tanks were switched off throughout the flight." Ward continued, saying that the loss of power from No. 1 was caused by it being feathered as a precautionary measure and the fuel starvation to No. 2 engine was caused by an incorrectly fitted non-return valve in the supply line from No. 1 fuel tank. No. 2 fuel tank had been isolated and two smaller fuel tanks in the port wing had not been selected during the flight.
The tradesman who had fitted the valve, and his supervisor, were prosecuted and charged, and the technician was court-martialled for negligence
and punished with a reprimand
. The Board also noted that some fuel was available from the two smaller tanks, which were not used during the flight, and that the captain "must bear some responsibility" for not using those tanks. Ward said, however, that "owing to the nature of the flight the amount of fuel in the two smaller tanks was not large, and it can only be assumed that the captain had no reason to believe that both port engines would not operate satisfactorily off the two main port tanks individually." The captain lost his life in the accident, and no charges were brought against him or any of the flight crew.
Reverend Stanley Harrison, the station padre at RAF Abingdon, was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
and Flying Officer Charles Evans, the medical officer, a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
for efforts in the rescue of the crew. They were involved in the three-hour rescue effort, removing fourteen bodies from the wreckage, and, after half an hour they found an RAF Police dog alive. The RAF praised the two men for displaying "courage and resourcefulness of a high order, refusing to give up while there was hope of finding survivors among the wreckage." An RAF document stated: "At one stage a Calor gas cylinder
bottle exploded near these officers and the fire thereupon’ began to gain ground. Undeterred by this, they continued their search of the wreckage until it was clear that there could be no survivors." Also singled out for attention by the Board of Inquiry was a Mrs Smith of Abingdon, and the efforts of the Berkshire Constabulary
were praised by investigators.
Blackburn Beverley
The Blackburn B-101 Beverley was a 1950s British heavy transport aircraft built by Blackburn and General Aircraft and flown by squadrons of Royal Air Force Transport Command from 1957 until 1967.-Design and development:...
heavy transport aircraft, serial number
United Kingdom military aircraft serials
In the United Kingdom to identify individual aircraft, all military aircraft are allocated and display a unique serial number. A unified serial number system, maintained by the Air Ministry , and its successor the Ministry of Defence , is used for aircraft operated by the Royal Air Force , Fleet...
XH117, of 53 Squadron
No. 53 Squadron RAF
-History:No. 53 squadron of the Royal Flying Corps was formed at Catterick on 15 May 1916. Originally intended to be a training squadron, it was sent to France to operate reconnaissance in December that year. The squadron was equipped with BE2Es—swapped for the RE8 in April 1917...
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
, crashed in the village of Sutton Wick
Sutton Wick, Oxfordshire
Sutton Wick is a village located near Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England.-Air crash:A Blackburn Beverley C.Mk 1 heavy transport aircraft on a flight from RAF Abingdon crashed at Sutton Wick on 5 March 1957. All but four of the 22 people on board died in the accident, and two people were killed on the...
, Drayton, Berkshire, England, near RAF Abingdon
RAF Abingdon
RAF Abingdon was a Royal Air Force station near Abingdon, Oxfordshire. It is now known as Dalton Barracks and is used by the Royal Logistic Corps....
, Abingdon
Abingdon, Oxfordshire
Abingdon or archaically Abingdon-on-Thames is a market town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England. It is the seat of the Vale of White Horse district. Previously the county town of Berkshire, Abingdon is one of several places that claim to be Britain's oldest continuously occupied town, with...
, following the failure of two of its four engines. After take-off, No.
Aircraft engine position number
Aircraft engine position number is a method to identify the location of engines on multi-engined aircraft. Aircraft engines are numbered from left to right from the view of the pilot looking forward.-Twin-engined aircraft:* #1 - port - on the left...
1 engine
Aircraft engine
An aircraft engine is the component of the propulsion system for an aircraft that generates mechanical power. Aircraft engines are almost always either lightweight piston engines or gas turbines...
failed, and shortly before impact, whilst on final approach
Final approach (aviation)
A final approach is the last leg in an aircraft's approach to landing. In aviation radio terminology, it is often shortened to "final".In a standard airport landing pattern, which is usually used under visual meteorological conditions , aircraft turn from base leg to final within one to two miles...
back to Abingdon, No. 2 engine failed to respond to throttle inputs. The aeroplane was unable to reach Abingdon, and struck cables and trees 18 minutes after lifting off.
Of the seventeen passengers and five crew on board, all but four died in the accident. In addition, two people on the ground near where the aircraft crashed were also killed. A subsequent investigation found that a non-return valve in the fuel system had been installed backwards, causing the engines to be starved of fuel
Fuel Starvation
Fuel starvation and fuel exhaustion are problems that can affect internal combustion engines fuelled by either diesel, kerosene, petroleum or any other combustible liquid or gas. If no fuel is available for an engine to burn, it cannot function...
. The technician found responsible for fitting the valve was charged under the Air Force Act. Two men who participated in the rescue efforts following the crash were highly praised for "refusing to give up while there was hope of finding survivors among the wreckage." Following the accident, the design of the valve that had been installed incorrectly was changed so that it could not be installed in such a way.
Flight history
In the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, the Secretary of State for AirSecretary of State for Air
The Secretary of State for Air was a cabinet level British position. The person holding this position was in charge of the Air Ministry. It was created on 10 January 1919 to manage the Royal Air Force...
, George Ward
George Ward, 1st Viscount Ward of Witley
George Reginald Ward, 1st Viscount Ward of Witley, PC , styled The Honourable George Ward until 1960, was a British Conservative politician...
, stated that the crash took place on 5 March 1957. The Beverley departed RAF Abingdon
RAF Abingdon
RAF Abingdon was a Royal Air Force station near Abingdon, Oxfordshire. It is now known as Dalton Barracks and is used by the Royal Logistic Corps....
, a base that had been used as a training station for RAF Bomber Command
RAF Bomber Command
RAF Bomber Command controlled the RAF's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. During World War II the command destroyed a significant proportion of Nazi Germany's industries and many German cities, and in the 1960s stood at the peak of its postwar military power with the V bombers and a supplemental...
throughout the Second World War, bound for RAF Akrotiri
RAF Akrotiri
Royal Air Force Station Akrotiri, more commonly known as RAF Akrotiri , is a large Royal Air Force station, on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. It is located in the Western Sovereign Base Area, one of two areas which comprise Akrotiri and Dhekelia, a British Overseas Territory, administered as a...
in Cyprus. The weather was low overcast at 500 feet (152.4 m), visibility was less than 1000 feet (304.8 m), and there was an easterly wind of 10 knots (5.4 m/s). The aeroplane was carrying freight, a relief crew and eight RAF policemen
Royal Air Force Police
The Royal Air Force Police is the Service Police branch of the Royal Air Force. It was formed on 1 April 1918, when the RAF was formed by the merger of the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service . It is responsible for the policing of all service personnel much like there RN or Army...
with their dogs
Police dog
A police dog, often referred to as a "K-9 dog" in some areas , is a dog that is trained specifically to assist police and other law-enforcement personnel in their work...
. As the aircraft was ascending, No. 1 engine on the port wing developed a fuel leak. The flight crew responded by feathering the engine, a process that involves rotating the propeller blades parallel to the airflow
Aerodynamics
Aerodynamics is a branch of dynamics concerned with studying the motion of air, particularly when it interacts with a moving object. Aerodynamics is a subfield of fluid dynamics and gas dynamics, with much theory shared between them. Aerodynamics is often used synonymously with gas dynamics, with...
in order to reduce drag
Drag (physics)
In fluid dynamics, drag refers to forces which act on a solid object in the direction of the relative fluid flow velocity...
on the airframe and increase efficiency
Fuel efficiency
Fuel efficiency is a form of thermal efficiency, meaning the efficiency of a process that converts chemical potential energy contained in a carrier fuel into kinetic energy or work. Overall fuel efficiency may vary per device, which in turn may vary per application, and this spectrum of variance is...
. The flight crew declared an emergency
Mayday (distress signal)
Mayday is an emergency procedure word used internationally as a distress signal in voice procedure radio communications. It derives from the French venez m'aider, meaning "come help me"....
and requested a blind approach
Instrument approach
For aircraft operating under instrument flight rules , an instrument approach or instrument approach procedure is a series of predetermined maneuvers for the orderly transfer of an aircraft under instrument flight conditions from the beginning of the initial approach to a landing, or to a point...
back to Abingdon, upon which the controller
Air traffic controller
Air traffic controllers are the people who expedite and maintain a safe and orderly flow of air traffic in the global air traffic control system. The position of the air traffic controller is one that requires highly specialized skills...
in contact with the aeroplane alerted emergency services on the ground.
A short time later, cockpit instruments alerted the flight crew to a large loss of fuel from No. 2 fuel tank
Fuel tank
A fuel tank is safe container for flammable fluids. Though any storage tank for fuel may be so called, the term is typically applied to part of an engine system in which the fuel is stored and propelled or released into an engine...
—which was powering engine No.1—the second of four such tanks in the port wing of the aeroplane. In an effort to stop the leak, the crew deactivated the fuel cocks
Petcock
A petcock is a small valve used to control the flow of liquid or gas.- Use on motorcycles :Most older motorcycles have a fuel petcock valve mounted on or nearby the fuel tank to control the supply of gasoline....
and boosters for the No. 2 tank, but left them on for the No. 1 tank on the port side. As the Beverley turned on to the final approach for Abingdon the crew applied power to the remaining three Bristol Centaurus
Bristol Centaurus
|-See also:-Bibliography:*Bridgman, L, Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II. Crescent. ISBN 0-517-67964-7*Gunston, Bill. Development of Piston Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 2006. ISBN 0-7509-4478-1...
engines, but No. 2 engine—also on the port wing—failed to respond, and the aeroplane began to lose speed and height. Knowing he could not make the airfield, the captain tried to land the aircraft in an open field. However, the aircraft became uncontrollable and struck a number of high tension cables and some trees, which tore the port side wing from the fuselage. Upon impact with the ground, the aircraft destroyed a caravan and a prefabricated house
Prefabricated home
Prefabricated homes, often referred to as prefab homes, are dwellings manufactured off-site in advance, usually in standard sections that can be easily shipped and assembled....
, before somersaulting and landing upside down.
The aircraft crashed at 11:00 am, 18 minutes after take-off, near the village of Sutton Wick, 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Abingdon. The tail section of the aircraft landed in a farm house near the main wreckage, trapping a woman in the kitchen of the building. She was later freed by emergency workers. The aircraft, which was carrying a large amount of fuel for the flight to Cyprus, instantly caught fire upon crashing. A newspaper reported: "Wreckage was scattered over threequarters of a mile. The force of the explosion sent the main part of the giant plane's fuselage and tailplane tearing back over the field into the farmyard, carrying with it an inferno of blazing petrol and debris." Emergency workers worked for several hours to free trapped people from the charred fuselage. Ultimately, two civilians in a prefabricated building on the ground, three crew, 15 passengers, and a number of RAF Police dogs were killed in the initial impact and the post-crash fire. However, two of the crew and two passengers survived. One RAF Police dog was also found alive in the wreckage.
Investigation
The tradesman who had fitted the valve, and his supervisor, were prosecuted and charged, and the technician was court-martialled for negligence
Negligence
Negligence is a failure to exercise the care that a reasonably prudent person would exercise in like circumstances. The area of tort law known as negligence involves harm caused by carelessness, not intentional harm.According to Jay M...
and punished with a reprimand
Reprimand
A reprimand is a severe, formal or official reproof. Reprimanding takes in different forms in different legal systems, such as in UK law.- UK :...
. The Board also noted that some fuel was available from the two smaller tanks, which were not used during the flight, and that the captain "must bear some responsibility" for not using those tanks. Ward said, however, that "owing to the nature of the flight the amount of fuel in the two smaller tanks was not large, and it can only be assumed that the captain had no reason to believe that both port engines would not operate satisfactorily off the two main port tanks individually." The captain lost his life in the accident, and no charges were brought against him or any of the flight crew.
Aftermath
As a consequence of the disaster at Sutton Wick, the design of the incorrectly installed fuel valve was changed, so such an error would be impossible. Aviation author Graham Perry wrote that, following the crash, "airworthiness design standards were changed so that the threads at either end of all such valved manufactured since are now made totally different from each other. Items like a non-return valve simply cannot now be assembled in the wrong sense." Nevertheless, Perry wrote, "[one] would be amazed how many people have still tried to do so in the forty-seven years since, most realising their mistake after looking in the manual and quietly and ruefully thanking those who had gone before them and made it impossible."Reverend Stanley Harrison, the station padre at RAF Abingdon, was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
and Flying Officer Charles Evans, the medical officer, a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
for efforts in the rescue of the crew. They were involved in the three-hour rescue effort, removing fourteen bodies from the wreckage, and, after half an hour they found an RAF Police dog alive. The RAF praised the two men for displaying "courage and resourcefulness of a high order, refusing to give up while there was hope of finding survivors among the wreckage." An RAF document stated: "At one stage a Calor gas cylinder
Gas cylinder
A gas cylinder is a pressure vessel used to store gases at above atmospheric pressure. High pressure gas cylinders are also called bottles. Although they are sometimes colloquially called "tanks", this is technically incorrect, as a tank is a vessel used to store liquids at ambient pressure and...
bottle exploded near these officers and the fire thereupon’ began to gain ground. Undeterred by this, they continued their search of the wreckage until it was clear that there could be no survivors." Also singled out for attention by the Board of Inquiry was a Mrs Smith of Abingdon, and the efforts of the Berkshire Constabulary
Berkshire Constabulary
Berkshire Constabulary is a former Home Office police force which was responsible for policing the county of Berkshire in Southern England. Berkshire Constabulary was merged with several other adjacent police forces in 1968 to form the Thames Valley Police....
were praised by investigators.
See also
- List of accidents and incidents involving military aircraft (1950–1959)
- Air safetyAir safetyAir safety is a term encompassing the theory, investigation and categorization of flight failures, and the prevention of such failures through regulation, education and training. It can also be applied in the context of campaigns that inform the public as to the safety of air travel.-United...
- 1957 in aviation1957 in aviationThis is a list of aviation-related events from 1957:- Events :* The Douglas AIR-2 Genie unguided air-to-air missile enters service with the United States Air Force...