Wondering if someone might be able to help.
I’m trying to trace the serial number of a Horsa MkII Glider belonging to 21 HGCU that crashed on landing at Elsham Wolds sometime in August 1946. It overshot on landing due to a flap cable snapping, crossed the Brigg to Barton on Humber road and ended up in a cabbage field. Pilots were Lt Maclachlan and Sgt Jobling.
I’ve found serials for a few accidents prior to that but not that particular one.
Just on the off chance someone might have in a record somewhere.
By: Arabella-Cox - 12th October 2011 at 07:49
You know I envy your photo collection don’t you? 😉
By: Arabella-Cox - 11th October 2011 at 22:03
Yes a pneumatic leak would fit the bill. I’ll check the APs again but I have a feeling that pressure was needed to keep the flaps in position, loose it and they’d go back up and you’d obviously have no brakes either.
Here’s a page from a scrap book showing another post war Horsa ‘arrival’ though I doubt this one could be blamed on a pneumatic leak.:)
[ATTACH]200374[/ATTACH]
By: Arabella-Cox - 11th October 2011 at 20:59
Aeronut,
Good point. I was quoting from a veteran directly but as you know yourself as the mind ages small details get confused, words get swapped.
A quick re-query and he’s corrected himself as saying there was a bang and one of the flaps didn’t come down properly and the brakes failed on landing. So my guess is cause was a pneumatic line giving up the ghost hence the lack of brakes after landing.
By: Arabella-Cox - 11th October 2011 at 14:59
OEB
Did you get the description of the cause of the accident from official sources?
I only ask, as my understanding* of the Horsa flap system has the pneumatic valve operated directly from the lever on the centre console, ie no cable to break. :confused:
However, if it was a cable in the brake system that broke, that I could believe, there was one cable that could fail leaving both pilots without control of the brakes, which could result in an overshoot.
* 18 months spent pouring through Horsa / Hamilcar APs attempting to identify excavated parts.
By: Arabella-Cox - 11th October 2011 at 09:18
Blimey, hadn’t realised they were still flying Horsa gliders after the war!
You might find this interesting:
http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=111658
By: mantog - 10th October 2011 at 23:53
Blimey, hadn’t realised they were still flying Horsa gliders after the war!
Sign In
October 10, 2011 at 11:38 pm