Neil Williams crash 11Dec1977

I remember

Remember this crash well as I was sat at Hurn Airport awaiting his arrival as he was due in to clear customs. At the time he was one of my hero’s and I had never seen a casa 2-111 before. The op’s chappie came out late afternoon to say his arrival was cancelled as the plane had crashed and the crew had been killed, and I was devastated. It was a bad year for Aviation personalities with Neil, Doug Bianchi and later, Ormond Haydon Baillie all going within a year or two, and if I remember rightly, Neil Williams had not been married very long and his wife was with him on that fateful day.(what I was told at the time)……….A very bad time, but all these people had an influence on my life. So thank you guy’s..

I well remember the occasion when Neil was flying the Bleriot in a circuit during a display, and it became clear that he was gently undershooting the hedge of runway 30 and sinking into the cornfield. No harm done to him, but by the time he returned to the airfield, a spontaneous collection had been made by the crowd,organised via the tower/commentator, towards repairing the Bleriot.

His Falling Leaf manoeuvre in the Tiger Moth was also a rare treat to see.

And I remember a remarkable landing at Old Warden in (on ?) the Boxkite, I’ll never understand how he managed it.

Appropiately…..

[SIZE=”1″]Was this the same Neil Williams who survived the wing failure of his Zlin aerobatic aircraft?[/SIZERegards,

This ‘historic’ thread should prove of added interest and gives more info about Neil and the ‘Zlin incident’.

http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=76635&highlight=Neil+Williams

I expect most people know that Neil was also our ‘resident Lancaster pilot’ during the period 1967 – 1970, flying NX611 (now famously known as East Kirkby’s “Just Jane” ) on all of her 14 flights following her return to the UK (Biggin Hill) from Australia in 1965.

I was lucky to have been onboard NX611 for her flight from Biggin to Lavenham, Suffolk on 30th March 1969 and I well remember how Neil ‘beat up’ the main runway of the former UAAF airfield at some 50 feet before successfully touching down to a tremendous reception from a large appreciative crowd of enthusiasts, Air Training Corp cadets and dignitaries.

I have very many unforgettable memories of this very unassuming, yet brilliantly talented, pilot and continue to mourne his premature departure from the skies that he will forever grace.

“Blue skies Neil”

Richard

The full story of Lancaster NX611, including the time when she was being flown by Neil Williams, can be read in the recently published book “Story of a Lanc” (5th edition) – by Brian Goulding & Richard J. A.(‘Dick’) Taylor, and is available through the ‘Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre’ website ( http://www.lincsaviation.co.uk/store/books/reference/ ) – ALL proceeds going directly to the ‘Centre’, to contribute to their efforts to return “Just Jane” to an airworthy condition.

That’s good enough! Thank you for the link.

Worth watching if you can – Neil Williams’ beautiful display of MH434 at the end of ‘Spitfire’ – the After the Battle video documentary.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p30jIe2pgsQ for a very rough version, I’m sure there are better ones out there.

Neil William’s books (Airborne & Aerobatics) are what got me interested in flying old aeroplanes and subsequently displaying them..

Doug Bianchi also died the same weekend ISTR. Has anyone read Doug’s tales written for Pilot Magazine in the 1970s of buying old aeroplanes from France? Makes me giggle even now..

Perhaps, if it still exists, a piece of the wreckage of the Heinkel could be recovered and displayed at, say, Old Warden to commemorate this talented man?

It would be very poignant, surrounded by pictures of his marvellous displays – or is this just me being a sad romantic?

Anon.

As far as I know, major wreckparts are still lingering at the (remote and difficult to reach) site.

BW R

There’s a picture of the CASA before its fateful departure here: http://www.aviationcorner.net/show_photo.asp?id=22911

Memorial

My memorial suggestion was not intended to be morbid or macabre.

It would illustrate, though, what an unforgiving environment aviating can be – even for highly experienced and skilled airmen of Williams’ calibre.

However, having been informed that there is a memorial to this great pilot is good to hear. So often great people are forgotten, their memorial being just memories in the minds of a dwindling few.

Anon.

I see in the caption with the photograph of the wreckage, that the crash was at night. Is that true? I always thought that he made the wrong decision on which valley he was in and hit the mountain in decreasing visibility. Is there an AAIB report somewhere? It seemed such a strange mistake for such a talented pilot.

Ozplane
The crash has been discussed before on this forum see here http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=91416&highlight=neil+williams
It happened in daylight but in poor visibility. The extract of the report says that four people were onboard, two engineers.
Many years ago I remember seeing a 8mm film taken during the flight of one of the other two CASA 2-111’s that Neil had already ferried to the UK. The film showed the sea crossing at very low level, in sunny, clear weather and direct. The person who filmed it said the Spanish authorities were unhappy about them taking the same route again due to the lack of navigation equipment and the weather, and insisted they flew up the coast before making a shorter sea crossing from France.

Richard

I see in the caption with the photograph of the wreckage, that the crash was at night. Is that true? I always thought that he made the wrong decision on which valley he was in and hit the mountain in decreasing visibility. Is there an AAIB report somewhere? It seemed such a strange mistake for such a talented pilot.

Yes, I agree, Graham, and his writings speak for themselves and tell you so much about the man – except for his supreme aviation skills, which only those of us who were priveleged to see, will fully understand.

OHB

Yes and lest we forget we lost Ormond Haydon-Baillie around the same time.

Another gifted aviator.

The Black Knight.

Yes… there is a bust of Neil at Old Warden. Does not get as much attention as in the past as his achievements are not known by the younger generations who never saw him. My own view – the Spitfire, the bust and his writings are all that is needed. To show the aircraft he lost his life in is just morbid and macabre.

For anyone with a desire – seek out his writings in the column he used to write for Alan Hall’s Aviation News when it was that huge newspaper affair. They are well worth the read even today!

If I recall, there is a fine bronze bust and short epitaph of Neil Williams at Old Warden, alongside a nice model of this very aircraft (AR501).

E

Memorial

Perhaps, if it still exists, a piece of the wreckage of the Heinkel could be recovered and displayed at, say, Old Warden to commemorate this talented man?

It would be very poignant, surrounded by pictures of his marvellous displays – or is this just me being a sad romantic?

Anon.

There was NO better Spitfire – or any other type – of display pilot

Seconded, Graham – I remember watching his displays in the early/mid 70’s; sheer poetry in motion, conceived and executed like a Charlie Parker solo. And I remember a remarkable landing at Old Warden in (on ?) the Boxkite, I’ll never understand how he managed it.

Neil Williams, fast and low, in MH434 during the filming of A Bridge Too Far…

There was NO better Spitfire – or any other type – of display pilot