Channel Airways Viscount G-AVJZ Accident

Was so lovely to read the kind words of Transportraits about my Grandad Chris Mundy.

Every so often around my sons birthday, 3rd of May, I revisit my trail just to see if I’ll find out a bit more about my dads father.

My dad sadly suffered from Alzheimer’s starting in his early 50’s, they say early onset Alzheimer’s/dementia can often be the cause of a trauma. My thoughts have always been that witnessing his dads tragic accident could very well be that.

I’d like to add, my Dad sounds just like his Dad, Chris, everyone loved Steve Mundy. 

I cannot really add very much to what has already been written regarding the accident to ‘JZ.

Like Transportraits I too worked for AT(E)L at the time and vividly remember being in the flight shed crew room drinking my customary afternoon pint of milk when the accident happened. We all rushed outside in time to see SEN’s firetenders roaring past the hangar with ‘JZ well ablaze across the runway. We didn’t know at the time that it was on airtest and thought the worst in terms of casualties, although we were very shocked once the news of the deaths of two of our work colleagues reached us. I recall that Roy Fields rushed around trying to find out if anyone from the hangar was over there – the apprentices were building a stock car in that area at the time for example.

The story I heard regarding the cause of the accident was that No.4 engine power was pulled back but it was No.3 prop that the crew feathered instead. I haven’t been able to find the accident report so I don’t know if this is correct, but certainly No.4 was not feathered and was in flight fine pitch so caused severe amounts of drag which induced a strong turning moment on the starboard wing.

My future wife was a schoolfriend of Chris Mundy’s daughter at the time – presumably Charlie Mundy’s aunt – and we were all very saddened by Chris’s death and he has certainly not been forgotten, having been killed in such a tragic way.

Just a small postscript, I believe the first officer on ‘JZ was also a crew member when the second Viscount aquaplaned and overran 06 a year later.

One final thing, there was a Channel 748 waiting to depart 24 at the time of ‘JZ’s accident and after holding for a time he took off – not something that would happen now I think as no fire cover would have been available. But then it was 42 years ago…..

thankyou…. that would explain the lack of entries…

Indeed….it never entered service. The flight was a pre service CAA test flight.

Garry

Did this aircraft not actually enter service with Channel Airways then? I have just got back from Southend and have been thru my aircraft things and found the logbook I have. There are bits of paper listing modification numbers, rigging data etc but in the the actual log there are only a few entries they are :-

10 May 1965 Phase one inspection completed
12 Feb 1967 Phase two inspection completed
12 Apr 1967 Check number two complete

then there are a few details about ferry flights and totals, then under this, written in pencil is written ‘Cr. during t/o for C of A airtest 3/5/1967’

Specifically i wanted to reply to Jamie-Southend and Transportraits – once again this thread that seems to have been going for years is being resurrected!
Chris Mundy was my granddad – my dad Stephen being his son, who tragically saw the accident happen, albeit at the time i don’t think he realised the true horror of what he was seeing!
I have been looking for more information about my granddad and the accident recently and it was lovely to find this site and to see that he is not forgotten.

most upset 🙁 data plate for this was on ebay, I was bidding and was winning but wasn’t able to get to computer… outbid by a £1 😡

Another web search for Portsmouth airport turned up a site which says that wet grass had caused several accidents culminating in the two involving the Channel Airways 748s and that as a result operating restrictions were placed on the runway which meant it was difficult to operate viable services from there. As a result in 1971 the council decided to close the airport as it was making a loss (reported to be £9000 for 1970).
It does seem to be fair comment that the accidents were the catalyst which led to closure. I am pretty sure that Portsmouth had a reputation for being boggy and if the council had invested in a paved runway then it would have continued to be viable.
After the loss of the 748s I think Channel may have continued services into Portsmouth using Herons. Channel did try some innovative routes particularly within the UK and from what I remember they had mixed success. I always thought that the main problem which beset Channel was the anti jet lobby at Southend. In the 60s it was planned to lengthen 33/15 to take jets and Channel was going to operate BAC 111 and Tridents from the airport. The plans included major work to move or lower Warners Bridge which goes over the railway but it did mean that the approach and take off paths were over the less heavily populated areas of the town.
Thanks to some rather short sighted money grabbing a few years ago whcih led to the closure of 33/15 to sell off land for a trading estate the current expansion plans at Southend have to focus on extending or removing approach obstacles for 06/24 which has flight paths over the main population areas. Needless to say there is currently a heavy anti aircraft lobby doing their bit to halt the plans but amazingly none of their letters in the local press have acknowledged that it is only thanks to the 60s anti jet lobby that the airport is forced to develop what could be viewed as the wrong runway.
Just maybe if the 60s expansion plans had gone ahead we would still have Channel Airways together with a thriving airport and a great deal more employment for the area.

Perhaps what I should have said is that they contributed to the closure of Portsmouth Airfield. Working from memory (in my case, usually a dangerous thing to do!), after the two HS.748 accidents there Channel Airways withdrew their services from Portsmouth. Subsequently JF Airlines emerged to provide scheduled services from Portsmouth but by then, apparently, Portsmouth City Council had decided that it wanted to see the airfield close – and we all know that when a local authority decides that it doesn’t want an airfield, it’s only a matter of time before it goes. Maybe if the Council had laid a hard runway Channel Airways would have stayed. Maybe if Channel Airways had stayed (and yes, I haven’t forgotten their fate) the airfield might have thrived and, possibly, expanded. If so perhaps it might not have closed and been built upon. I know that these are a lot of perhaps and maybes – but they are only to support an argument that the two HS.748 crashes could have been catalysts to the closure of the airfield – a bit like the butterfly wing effect!

According to a site on the web the two 748 accidents occured on 15 August 1967 and the airfield didn’t close until 1973 so it doesn’t look like the accidents were a major cause of the closure. I may have got things in the wrong order here as it was a long time ago but I think Channel Airways got round the problem by acquiring some early mark Herons to use for services to the smaller airports like Portsmouth. I think the 748s were rarely full anyway and I imagine that a Heron was a safer bet in terms of operating within the limits of the runways at some of the smaller airports.

[QUOTE=WJ244;1402315]

The 748’s were actually both bent at Portsmouth on the same day and I think the cause was attributed to lack of braking on wet grass. I am pretty sure that one of them was badly damaged when the crash / recovery crew tried to move it by looping a hawser around the fin which very neatly took the fin off!.

Weren’t these the accidents which ultimately led to the closure of Portsmouth Airport? I remember landing on the grass there, in a Channel Airways HS.748 from Jersey, and it was an interesting experience. Fortunately I flew to and from there on dry summer days!

well, I’ve just torn house apart to find log book (missus has hump but hohum!) and I cant find it which means it must be with my other Viscount/Southend bits in Southend… I shall be down there within next couple of weeks…

Jamie This isn’t the original newspaper report but it does give the full story of the enquiry. The first two scans are top and bottom of the same page.

The newspaper has almost disintegrated after 40 odd years but if you want better scans please send me a PM and I will try to help. I have also put all 3 scans in an album on the forum. If you click on my user name you can access the album and I think it will be easier to read the text from there.

[QUOTE=Transportraits;912805] They also managed to severely bend two HS 748s on the same day at different airports!

The 748’s were actually both bent at Portsmouth on the same day and I think the cause was attributed to lack of braking on wet grass. I am pretty sure that one of them was badly damaged when the crash / recovery crew tried to move it by looping a hawser around the fin which very neatly took the fin off!.

We dont mind the reserection Jaybee, its interesting to think that the accident happened almost 42 years ago to the day.

It was good to read back through all the posts which worryingly i started over 3 years ago :0)

Jamie

thinking about it, Im pretty sure a log book for a Viscount I bought of ebay couple of years back was for this plane… I shall have to go check tomoro…

Sorry to resurect an old thread, but my dad and I were talking about this crash the other day… he was hanging around the area with his pals at the time and was told to clear off by groundstaff, he recalls shortly after, the viscount came down and he and his pals ducked for cover in the brook that aparently runs by the runway….

Hi, Jamie.

I knew both Chris Mundy and the other casualty, Jack Pilgrim, as work colleagues. At the time I was employed by Aviation Traders in the main Approved Aircraft Stores and Chris and Jack were the firm’s two stock checkers, so they were very freuent visitors to the store, sometimes ‘camped out’ there for saeveral days while they counted and weighed items on a never-ending checking cycle. we all chatted and swapped stories as men do in such situations. I found them both genuinely pleasant guys whom you could share a joke with and always seemed to be in good humour. Along with all my fellow storekeepers and others at ATEL, I was absolutely shocked when it emerged they had been killed in the accident.

I knew the other man, too, ‘Mac’ McGrevy was senior storekeeper of the Commercial Stores and he was often at the ill-fated compound, as it held stocks of metal beams, bars, tube, etc. and considerable quantities of oils, greases, paints and similar products. ‘Mac’ was off work a long time, but did eventually return and resume his duties.

Best wishes to you and yours,

Richard Goring
(Transportraits)

Thanks for the posting Transportraits, i now know a lot more on the accident due to everyones postings. I started the post as my wifes uncles father was one of the casualties, his name was Christopher Mundy.

Thanks

Jamie

For those of us who are members of Air-Britain, the Viscount crash is one of those listed in the ‘Casualty Compendium’ column of the latest issue of ‘Archive’. The next issue will then identify the aircraft and give details of the accident and, possibly, also have one of the photos I took of the partly burned-out wreck, still lying on top of the oil drums and steelwork in the boundary compound. The registration is clearly visible on the unburned rear fuselage. I guess I have one of the few photos of this Viscount (such as it is) in G- marks, as it had only been rolled-out of the Channel Airways hangar a day or two before the accident (having been delivered to Southend some weeks back in US markings) , which was its one and only (rather short) flight in British marks.