BA Swallow crash 4 June 1937

The last UK Westland Widgeon (monoplane) met it’s end when it escaped and flew into a hangar.

John

A few years ago I was witness to an aircraft escaping out of a hangar through the opened doors flying into a line of trees. Not even nesting season that day either.

The last UK Westland Widgeon (monoplane) met it’s end when it escaped and flew into a hangar.

John

:eagerness:

I’ll ask the wife!

I suspect that the answer to the second question is in the affirmative. But it’s a big question. Can you give me a few years to research it!

I’m not sure I can be that patient – any chance of fitting it into 2 years and 10 months please 🙂

Whatever fault – if there was one – caused G-AEMW to make its unmanned take-off in June 1937 (when, presumably, it should have been nesting rather than migrating), the one obvious fault must have been with its compass – in that it had to fly east from Lympne to reach Hawkinge, right off either its natural spring or autumn migratory route!

So were the Swallows more prone to this sort of thing or did it happen with other types too?

Was this ‘auto flight south’ of Swallows more common in September and October?

Either because the pilot/prop swinger on an unchocked aircraft has forgotten to check that all mag switches are off or there is a fault with the magneto(s) or alternatively they have been dumb enough to attempt an engine start without chocks/tie down – an aircraft engine starting and then moving has certainly not been that unusual over the years.
The last in this country I actually remember was at The Long Mynd in 1993 when a pawnee engine started whilst the prop was being turned and the aircraft did a brief flight into the nearest gully – there will have been others since though.Doubly unfortunate with a glider tug since one can use the glider hook as a tie down point for engine starting.
The last time I actually witnessed an inadvertent engine start was at Abingdon 1981ish when we had the whole chipmunk fleet out for the first time after xmas and the aircraft next to mine had a mag fault – the pilot who was starting his walkround said to the groundcrew that he was clear to prime the engine and in spite of the mag switches being off and the throttle closed (the engine had not been started for at least 2 weeks) and in very cold weather – the engine actually started and continued running,cue open mouthed pilot at rudder and shocked looking prop swinger 😀
But of course it was no drama because the aircraft was correctly chocked and was stopped on the fuel cut out.
One of course always treats the prop as ‘live’ (if sensible)

I suspect that the answer to the second question is in the affirmative. But it’s a big question. Can you give me a few years to research it!

G-AEGM and G-AELV performed the same trick, but less successfully. The former did it at Hooton, the flight ending in a crash and its destruction by fire. The latter did it at Hanworth, but is recorded only as ending its flight by crashing.

So were the Swallows more prone to this sort of thing or did it happen with other types too?

“ADPS” is now privately owned but you could try the current owner for log book info.
Incidentally if was a Swallow 2 it was by BA. I think BK only produced the “L25C Swallow”, a different animal.

Thanks! That’s certainly worth a try 🙂
It is indeed a BA Swallow 2.

G-AEGM and G-AELV performed the same trick, but less successfully. The former did it at Hooton, the flight ending in a crash and its destruction by fire. The latter did it at Hanworth, but is recorded only as ending its flight by crashing.

“ADPS” is now privately owned but you could try the current owner for log book info.
Incidentally if was a Swallow 2 it was by BA. I think BK only produced the “L25C Swallow”, a different animal.
I have vague memory of seeing historical reports of this type of happening, they obviously made a habit of it!

In the old guidebook for the Strathallan Collection it is claimed that their Swallow G-ADPS also carried out a similar “feat” by flying pilotless for one and a half hours, also from Lympne, but post-war. If that’s correct then it too must’ve made a fairly decent “landing” as it is still flying today (last I heard anyway). Have never been able to find out any more information on this unfortunately.

I should have read it too, as I have it here!

Thank you, Paul. Now if only I’d looked at the text of Jackson, rather than just the appendix …..!

From Google Books

British civil aircraft, 1919-1972 – Volume 1 – Page 166
https://books.google.co.uk/book…

Aubrey Joseph Jackson, ‎R. T. Jackson – 1987 – ‎Snippet view – ‎More editions
I The sole example of a Swallow 2 fitted with a coupe top was G-AEMW. … One of these was the Cirrus-engined G-AEVC, which had survived a pilotless take-off from the Cinque Ports Flying Club, only to be destroyed when a tip-and-run raider bombed the … SPECIFICATION Manufacturers: The British Klemm Aeroplane Co.

I’m beginning to wonder whether the lack of information about this incident may be because the aeroplane was not written off as a result of its 4 June 1937 crash but, instead, it was repaired and flown again. If so this incident may not have been recorded, whereas its ultimate fate, whatever that might have been, is what appears on the record. The other possibility is that, despite what is reported, the aeroplane was not owned and/or operated by the Cinque Ports Flying Club at the time of this incident. But as the records of the Cinque Ports Flying Club apparently no longer are extant, the answer to my question may remain an enigma.

Thank you. I’ve now done so.

AA
Contact me at monbryth AT aol DOT com and I’ll send the newspaper report.

Brian

Edit. There might be a comment in either the Lympne ORB (AIR28/509) or Hawkinge ORB (AIR 28/345)