Aircraft collision 15th November 1957

So sad to hear of the accident involving an F-15C Eagle on Monday morning.

Coincidentally, off Flamborough Head, Yorkshire – the same area of my uncles air accident. ✈️

Hi guys,

Following your advice I contacted Tracey at Air Accidents Investigation Branch, but she could find no reports on this accident. Following Tracey’s advice I contacted the Defence Air Accident Investigation Branch – their admin officer Mr Sean Mills  DSA-DAIB-AIR-OffMgr@mod.gov.uk but have received no reply as yet. 

Any other potential leads / suggestions would be gratefully received,

Kind regards,

Richard

With reference to Richards post above, I seem to recall reading that the R.N. / F.A.A had their own ‘Air Accident Investigation Branch’?  Despite the aircrew being civilians, I would imagine there would  be some form of investigation as the aircraft were still military.

Cannot seem to find any reference to such an outfit online, anyone point me in the right direction…..is Lee Howard still around?

Thanks in anticipation Chumpy.

Hi Guys,

I am very interested in this thread. One of the Airman killed that day was my Uncle, John Richard Folkard who was at the time, working for Airwork Ltd, based at Hurn Airport. He had only left the RAF a few months before. I am researching anything i can find regarding this tragedy, so any information would be very welcome. His sister, my Mother still does not have a complete picture of what happened that day, so I am trying to fill in the missing pieces. The Bournemouth Echo reported that the two Fireflies (VG965 & VG967) were performing target towing for HMS Bulwark some 50 miles from Bridlington. Thanks.

Kind regards Richard. richardsenior@hotmail.com

Johnnie – Airwork were a big outfit at the time and had many civilian and military contracts as well as being an airline in its own right which later merged with Hunting Clan (among others) to form BUA. See the book “Airwork: A History” for a breakdown of its activities.

Just a quick update. I have checked the log to Bennett again and the follow information comes through:

Bennett joins Bulwark late March 1957, after serving with 705 Squadron. When he initially joins Bulwark the unit is listed as HMS Bulwark SAR Flight, and his regular pilots are Burke and Mitchell, while the helicopters they are flying seem to be 574 and 575.

In May 1957 the helicopters on service seem to change and the new codes are 981 and 982, although the pilots remain the same.

In October there is a change in personnel as Burke seems to leave, and all flying in the log book is now covered by Mitchell, Williams, and Bagnall.

From November 1957 the unit seems to change its name to “HMS Bulwark, 701 D Flight”.

Bennett seems to leave the unit in late December 1957 and joins 701 Squadron Lee on Solent in January 1958.

The record of service in the rear of the book states:
705 Squadron, RNAS Lee on Solent, 26/10/57 to 24/03/57
HMS Bulwark Ships Flight, RNAS Lee on Solent, 25/03/57 to 23/05/57
HMS Bulwark Ships Flight, 24/05/57 to 31/10/57
HMS Bulwark 701 ‘D’ Flight, 01/10/57 to 13/12/57
701 Squadron, Lee on Solent, 14/12/57 to 08/07/58

Johnnie

Many thanks for the additional comments.

I wonder if we can confirm when Bulwark left harbour and if it was the 16th or if it was slightly earlier.

I note the reply providing details of the aircraft that crashed suggests they were operating with Bulwark, so one imagines they’d have been somewhere near her.

Out of interest, earlier on the 15th the same helicopter crew had undertaken a planeguard flight for HMS Puma (I think – I’ll check the log) suggesting they were operating close to this ship too.

As for the unit information. I will need to check the log, but I do seem to think the unit changes from HMS Bulwark SAR Flight to 701 Squadron, D Flight, HMS Bulwark.

I know that the codes of the helicopters they are using change about August (I think). I’ll check the log book and update.

Thanks again.

Johnnie

Copies of ‘Fleet Air Arm Helicopters since 1943’ and ‘The Squadrons and Units of the Fleet Air Arm’ give more info.

XG581 was originally Ship’s Flight Bulwark as ‘982/B’ but with the ship in harbour it transferred to 701 Sqn ‘D’ Flt in Oct 57 (who took over the parenting of Bulwark’s Ship’s Flight) and would have kept its original code. Hence why it is listed in Bagnall’s logbook (he features several time over a number of types in FAAHS1943).

Bulwark supposedly left Portsmouth on 16 November (day after the crash) for Rosyth, when it would have been en-route in the North Sea when the two Fireflies crashed (histories of both from ‘Fleet Air Arm Fixed-Wing Aircraft since 1946’).

Lee

If HMS Bulwark was in Portsmouth and the two Fireflies crashed off Flamborough Head (Yorkshire) and the SAR flight lasted only 0.45 hours, it’s rather hard to reconcile these matters!

Would have been a busy day as during the evening an Aquila Airways flying boat crashed on the Isle of Wight killing 45.

Many thanks for that. It certainly seems like the correct incident.

I’ve never come across Airworks before. Were the pilots civilians?

I have details of only one collision on the date quoted and that involved two Airwork aircraft. It sounds like the ones you are looking for.

15.11.57 VG965 Firefly TT4 coded 044 of Airwork FRU. This aircraft and another Firefly VG967 were providing target practise for HMS Bulwark when they collided head on. Both aircraft crashed into the sea off Flamborough Head. The two crew were killed.
Mr J Falkhard,
Mr LH Scargill.

15.11.57 VG967 Firefly TT4 coded 505 of FRU. This aircraft and another Firefly VG965 were providing target practise for HMS Bulwark when they collided head on. Both aircraft crashed into the sea off Flamborough Head. The two crew were killed.
Mr JJ Phillips,
Mr J Pye.

QP