1955 aviation incident (Revived thread – new info)

This tragedy is powerful and I appreciate being able to read of it when is still so visceral and painful for those who were there or affected by it.
It shows the extraordinary power of the internet and a forum such as this to make connections that no other media or method could, and help resolve important things.

A historical case from Australia in 1936 bears a resemblance, in a civil court case for a military officer who struck spectators at an airshow, by allegedly attempting to impress with a prolonged, low takeoff :

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/17347635

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/11018942

In this case the officer was tried for manslaughter but acquitted. A valid function of the justice system is giving victims the chance to express how they are affected by something, to have the system acknowledge an injustice, even if it cannot be ultimately proven.

The coroner in this case…..no Quincy ME.

I was in that accident. A number of students from various colleges of Durham University were at annual camp at Otterburn. Every year the Infantry of OTC would take part in an overnight manoeuvre then next day advance to capture a wood. I, with other students were taken to the Observation post to watch. A small plane with a Battle of Britain pilot & a student flew over “bombing” us with toilet rolls. When they ran out of toilet rolls they swooped low over us. One swoop was too low and the plane ploughed through the group killing 5 students and a regular army sergeant and injuring a number of others. There was only one plane. It was not a military plane. We were taken back to camp then to the cinema in Hexham whilst the officers and medical students cleared belongs of dead and injured. There were no newspaper reports because there was a newspaper strike on that week. Barbara Milliucan

Moved to Historic

Moggy
Moderator

My sister was also killed in this accident

I am trying to trace an aviation incident in 1955
A school friend of my Mother’s was killed in an ‘flying accident’, he died 1st April 1955
At the time he was in Durham University OTC
My Mother recalls the story at the time was of several fatalities on the ground due to being hit by an aircraft whilst standing on a hillside
This may be totally wrong and the incident may have been before 1st April

Please get in touch with me – I am currently in the US but will be in Northumberland after the end of June. An aircrash investigator called Jim Corbett has done research on this crash and he and I have met some of the others involved – either relatives or participants. Please email me on [email]khpurdy@attglobal.net[/email] or Jim on [email]jim.corbett@acia.co.uk[/email] – I will be glad to share what I know. My sister was attending Kings College – which was then part of the University of Durham and she and 5 others who died were involved in OTC exercises on the Otterburn Range during Easter holidays. The names of those killed are inscribed on a memorial at the National Arboretum.

Please be in touch.

Kate (Holwell) Purdy

Otterburn 1-4-1955

I am trying to trace an aviation incident in 1955
A school friend of my Mother’s was killed in an ‘flying accident’, he died 1st April 1955
At the time he was in Durham University OTC
My Mother recalls the story at the time was of several fatalities on the ground due to being hit by an aircraft whilst standing on a hillside
This may be totally wrong and the incident may have been before 1st April

On the date in question I was on the firing ranges at Otterburn as part of a team from Leeds University Training Corps. I was ex National Service Royal Artillery and serving the compulsory 4 years with the territorials which every ex National Service person had to do.

At the time of the accident there was a ‘shoot’ in progress involving 25 pounder field guns. (Leeds University Corps was ‘attached’ to the Royal Artillery)There was radio communication between the command post and the actual guns and two radio channels were available. One was in use for the ‘shoot’ and the second channel was to be used solely for emergencies.

If memory serves me correctly there were technical problems with the first channel and the officer in charge took the decision to use the second channel to direct the shoot. Shortly afterwards all hell broke loose and we could hear chatter concerning a genuine emergency; the people directing the shoot were told in no uncertain terms to get off the ***** emergency channel. This must have been due to the air accident although information at the time was not readily available. It’s all a long time ago but I certainly remember it happening. The ranges cover a very large area and I have no recollection of seeing or hearing any planes. We did wonder aferwards why the aircraft had been flying so low. I wonder if the official investigation produced a report which is available to the public.

Thanks for that, skyskooter. That clears it up in my mind.

“Why was the pilot not called to give evidence.” A Coroner’s inquest is an enquiry into the cause of an unexplained or sudden death. It is not a trial and its purpose is not to apportion blame. In fact any witness who could be culpable is warned that he need not answer questions the answers to which may lay him open to criminal charges. You may therefore infer that the court doesn’t really have any teeth to nail the wrongdoer and you would be right but at the same time missing the point that the purpose is to establish how someone died and not why they died. Where criminal proceedings are pending the Coroner will adjourn the inquest until they are over before resuming. Most likely the pilot was advised to stay away from the inquest and could not be compelled to attend.

I visited the site yesterday, along with Kate Purdy (who’s sister was also killed in the accident) with a great deal of help from Chris Livesey who is a civil servant in charge of the site. The site is enormous – 12 miles long by 10 miles wide, so takes up a large chunk of North Northumberland. Chris was able to drive us to the exact location, and in company with air crash investigators and some photographs taken of the crash in 1955 we were able to be very precise. It has helped greatly to fill in a gap in my life history. Kate (a lovely lady) had copies of the newspaper reports on the inquest, which leaves me with only one question – “Why was the pilot not called to give evidence” If anyone has knowledge of inquests at that time, perhaps they could express an opinion.
Peter A Holmes

Hi, Katep,
Just read your message. I will get in touch by e-mail tomorrow – 04.04.2013
Peter

Click on Peter’s name above, sub menu opens, send a private message! 🙂

katep……….

Welcome to the forum. That was going to be my suggestion too………

Planemike

Click on Peter’s name above, sub menu opens, send a private message! 🙂

My sister was also killed in this incident

I would be interested to meet with other family members impacted by this incident. I have been researching the exact location on the Otterburn range, and have had the assistance of a local aircraft accident researcher, and the student co-pilot of the crashed plane – not really to any definitive conclusion.

My sister was Margaret Nora Holwell – I was 17 yrs old when she died.

I would like to be in contact with your contributor Peter Holmes, but I am a total novice at this site, so need suggestions.

Welcome to the Forum.

It is very sad to hear of the effect this incident had on the family.

I am sure I speak for all here when I say that we hope you’ll manage to get the visit arranged for the anniversary.

Some background information here

http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?6333-Flt-Lt-Richard-Vere-Potts-(128004)

Moggy

1955 crash

Hi,
I have just found this site, and would like to introduce myself.
I am Peter A Holmes and am the younger brother of one of those unfortunate to have been killed in the “accident ” at Otterburn. At the time I was 13 yrs old, and my parents fell apart on hearing of my brother’s death. The story we were told at the time was that the pilot had switched his engine off as he came round behind them ( it was April 1st, after all) with the intention of switching it back on as he approached from behind, with the intention of scaring them witless.
He could not get it restarted and landed on them from behind. With no engine noise who is the idiot who suggested that they should have ducked? I am in the process of trying to visit the sight, having spoken to Otterburn Army Camp in the last week but have been advised that it may not be possible to organize it in time for the anniversary, which is next Monday. The problem is the size of the site and also that everybody with local knowledge has retired long, long ago.
I will keep you in touch, even if the visit takes a while to organize.

Unfortunately, for whatever reason, my intervention and my comments have been both misinterpreted and misinferred, so it would clearly be unhelpful for me to make any further comment on this extremely sad and regrettable incident.

Thank you for finishing the story with so much detail

I had not expected to get such a complete story from my simple inquiry

Being involved in such a devastating incident as this must have stayed with everyone concerned for the rest of their lives – Keiths parents died in 1978 & 1988 and are buried with their son in Huyton

Red Hunter.

I’m wondering what your view of an appropriate punishment would have been for Flight Lieutenant Potts? I expect he found it more than hard enough to live with, so the question is what sort of punishment or sentence would have assuaged the anguish of the families of those who died? Or of those who were injured?

It’s a sad and tragic accident. There is no good to come from it. It might be as well to remember that some of those injured, as well as Flight Lieutenant Potts, may still be alive. May even at some stage become aware of a thread such as this.

The apportioning of blame is not something I’m interested in regarding this incident. Remembrance, however, is.

Regards,

kev35

I am not asking for anything. I made some observations, which seem to have been seized upon as a thirst for vengeance. The matter is history and probably best left there. As for your, hopefully, jocular comment about the dead and injured ducking, I didn’t think it in the best taste.

FFS, let’s not end this thread on the “compensayshun” malarky.

There’s no evidence that he MEANT to hit them! They are just as much to “blame” if you want to look at it that way, they should have ducked!

The guy retired at his own request shortly after, what more do you want?

No, indeed I was not. Presumably there was an enquiry and presumably someone was blamed at the time. I am not apportioning blame merely observing that the sanctions imposed on the pilot, who presumably was to blame otherwise he would not have punished, will have been of little compensation to those whose lives were lost as a result of the accident. I further made the point that in today’s litiginous society further actrion might well have been taken.