1947 BOAC Douglas C-47 crash
Encyclopedia
The 1947 BOAC Douglas C-47 Crash occurred on 11 January 1947 when Douglas C-47A G-AGJX of British Overseas Airways Corporation
(BOAC) crashed into a hill at Stowting
, Kent, in southeast England, killing five people outright, with a further three dying from injuries received. The aircraft had been operating a scheduled international flight to West Africa via France. Poor weather caused the aircraft to attempt to divert. After attempts to land at a number of French airports, the pilot decided to return to the United Kingdom as he was running short of fuel. The aircraft crashed whilst attempting to land at Lympne Airport
.
. It was later transferred to the Royal Air Force
as FL604
. On 7 July 1944, it was sold to BOAC and registered G-AGJX. At the time of the accident, the aircraft had flown for 3,898 hours. It had been overhauled the previous month, and a new certificate of airworthiness had been issued on 31 December 1946.
The aircraft took off from Heathrow at 09:48 GMT
. At 12:09, the aircraft was 4th in line to land at Bordeaux. At 12:28, a weather report for Bordeaux was transmitted to the aircraft. This stated "Visibility 1500 metres, 10/10 60–100 metres, WSW 20kms, Q.F.E.
1007.6". The direction of landing was given as 235°. By 12:30, the aircraft was next in line to land. At 1240, priority was given to a Royal Air Force
Avro York
, which was flying on only three engines. The aircraft was ordered to fly a circuit of the airfield whilst the York landed. At 1254, the York landed, but had to backtrack along the runway because the perimeter track was unserviceable. At 12:58, the captain asked for the weather at Toulouse. At 12:59, the weather at Toulouse was sent to the aircraft. This stated "Ceiling 300 metres, visibility 2 km, wind E 10 km". With this report, the captain was informed that he was next in line to land at Bordeaux. The captain then told air traffic control
that he was diverting because the weather was below the minimum conditions permissible and asked for the weather at Toulouse. In evidence given to the enquiry, this was corroborated by the crew of British European Airways
Dakota G-AGZX, which confirmed that the Toulouse weather was asked for. However, the radio operator recorded in his logbook "1300 hrs, set course for London". The aircraft turned on a heading back to England but then changed course for Paris. At 13:08, the weather at Bordeaux had deteriorated and the Q.G.O. message was sent to the aircraft, indicating that it was now prohibited from landing at Bordeaux.
The listed alternates for Bordeaux were Toulouse and Marignane
, although the aircraft was not carrying airfield information for either. At 13:13, a message was sent by radio to Air Traffic Control
(ATC) at Gloucester
that the aircraft was returning to London. Pieces of paper found in the wreckage of the aircraft stated "E.T.A.
London 15:18" and "E.T.A. Le Bourget 14:43". At 13:30, the aircraft changed course for Le Bourget. The captain then contacted Le Bourget and asked for the weather report. Gloucester were not informed of the change in plan until 14:06 when a message was sent that the aircraft was diverting to Le Bourged as the fuel reserve was inadequate to reach London. Some time between 14:10 and 14:15, the captain reported to Gloucester that his endurance was 1 hour 20 minutes and his position was 47°25′N 1°20′E. E.T.A.at Le Bourget was 14:45. At 14:14, Gloucester contacted ATC at Uxbridge
and reported that the aircraft was diverting to Le Bourget short of fuel, and requested that the message was passed on to Orly Airport
. Orly contacted Le Bourget and requested that the aircraft be given priority for landing.
At 14:34, the captain called Le Bourget and gave his E.T.A. as 14:40, with an endurance of only 45 minutes. At 14:45, Le Bourget suggested that the aircraft land at Cormeilles. Le Bourget had a thunderstorm at the time. The aircraft was not carrying any information about Cormeilles, although BOAC had been informed of the airfield's suitability as an alternative landing site in the Paris area in a translation of a French notice to airmen
dated 21 October 1946. The radio operator was unable to raise Cormeilles by radio, partly because the was using the wrong callsign of HTU (Morse
· · · · — · · — · — ) instead of HXA (Morse · · · · — · · — · ). Cormeilles was handling a de Havilland Dragon Rapide
at the time, and could only handle one aircraft at a time by radio. The Dragon Rapide was G-AGWC, which was on a flight from Basle Airport, Switzerland and was also short of fuel. At 15:07, Cormeilles tried to make contact with the aircraft. At 15:14, contact was established and the captain erroneously stated that his endurance was five minutes. At 15:15, a Q.D.M. was asked for from Cormeilles, which was given as 219°. Cormeilles reported that the Q.S.A. was 1. The report concluded that the aircraft had set course for England at or shortly after 15:00.
On entering the cockpit, a steward was told that the aircraft may divert to RAF Manston
, which was equipped with FIDO
. At 15:24, the aircraft contacted RAF Manston
and asked for the weather report. Manston had diffiulty communicating with the aircraft, which should have been communicating via Uxbridge ATC. It was not until 15:45 that Manston was able to locate the aircraft's position, which was then 9 miles (14.5 km) south east of Cap Gris Nez
. At 15:52, the captain told Lympne
that he had only 25 minutes fuel remaining. A PAN call
was made at 15:58, followed by an SOS call
at 16:02, giving the aircraft's position as 50°55′N 1°21′E. A further SOS call was made between 16:03 and 16:04 was abruptly curtailed. This was caused by the trailing aerial hitting the ground and breaking off some 2 miles (3.2 km) before the aircraft crashed.
The SOS had been received by both Manston and Uxbridge and lifeboats
from Deal
. Dungeness and Ramsgate
were called out. A Belgian
Dakota was asked to keep a lookout. Two Avro Anson
s from RAF Thorney Island were also despatched to join the search.
, at 16:06, the aircraft crashed into Barley Hill, Hammond's Farm, Stowting
, Kent. The aircraft struck the ground at a shallow angle and then bounced for 50 yards (45.7 m) before crashing into trees. Due to the empty fuel tanks, there was no post-crash fire. The forward fuselage as far back as the cabin door was torn open. The starboard side of the fuselage was also torn open when the aircraft swung violently to port. The tail of the aircraft was largely undamaged. All seats were torn from their anchorages in the floor of the aircraft, although seatbelts remained fastened. Two crew and three passengers were killed in the crash, which was the first for BOAC since 1944.
The alarm was raised by a telephone call to police at Ashford
from an officer at Lyminge
, which was received at 16:20, followed a few minutes later by another call from an officer at Folkestone
. At 17:12, the wreckage was reported as having been located. Villagers from Stowting assisted in the rescue. Ambulances from Ashford, Canterbury
, Folkestone and Hythe
attended. The injured were taken to Willesborough Hospital. The first of the injured arrived at hospital at 18:00 and all the dead and injured had been extracted from the wreckage of the aircraft by 19:00.
One of the injured crew died on 12 January. Amongst the injured was Tom Horabin
, MP
. Another of the injured crew was transferred to the Joyce Green Hospital, Dartford
, where he died on 14 January. The death of a passenger on 15 January brought the final toll to eight killed.
An inquest was opened on 13 January at Ashford. It was adjourned until 3 February. After a further adjournent, it concluded on 28 May 1947. A verdict of "accidental death" was returned on each of the victims.
, who stated that he was considering whether or not a public enquiry should be held into the accident. In its 16 January 1947 issue, Flight magazine called for a public enquiry to be held. That day, it was announced that a Public Inquiry would be held.
The Public Inquiry opened on 23 January. Air Commodore
Vernon Brown was in charge. He stated that the object of the inquiry was not to lay blame, but to discover facts. It was a normal Accidents Investigation Branch inquiry into an accident, with the exception that it was not being held in camera
on the instructions of Lord Nathan. There would be no cross-examination of witnesses. The French authorities had co-operated by providing relevant evidence and Max Hymans
, head of the Direction Générale de l'Aviation Civile
represented the French Government along with other officials. The inquiry was closed on 27 January, concluding that mechanical failure was not the cause of the accident. Liaison between British and French authorities was an area of concern. On 29 January, Edward Smith
MP asked in Parliament
why the inquiry was taking place when not all the survivors were fit enough to give evidence. In a written answer, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Civil Aviation George Lindgren
replied that statements had been taken from nearly all survivors and that it was felt to be in the public interest to proceed without delay.
On 14 February, the inquiry was reopened to hear new evidence. The final report into the accident was published on 7 May. It was established that there was nothing mechanically wrong with the aircraft at the time it crashed, although the engines were operating at idle power. A number of issues were raised, including the rostering of the crew, the captain's failure to ensure that he had all necessary navigational information, the captain's decision to divert to Le Bourget instead of returning straight to England, the inability of Cormeilles to handle two aircraft at once, and the captain's decision to return to England being made too late. Five recommendations were made as a result of the investigation. These were in relation to crewing, crew route familiarisation, provision of route information to crews, the ability of airfields to handle more than one aircraft at a time by radio and the introduction of new systems of working between the United Kingdom and France in respect of the control of air traffic and the hand-over of flights between the two countries. The latter was reported as already being under consideration at the time the report was published.
British Overseas Airways Corporation
The British Overseas Airways Corporation was the British state airline from 1939 until 1946 and the long-haul British state airline from 1946 to 1974. The company started life with a merger between Imperial Airways Ltd. and British Airways Ltd...
(BOAC) crashed into a hill at Stowting
Stowting
Stowting lies between Canterbury, Folkestone, Ashford and Hythe. In 1947, a Douglas C-47A crashed on the hillside above the village, killing eight of the 16 people on board.There is a Church of England Primary school.-External links:*...
, Kent, in southeast England, killing five people outright, with a further three dying from injuries received. The aircraft had been operating a scheduled international flight to West Africa via France. Poor weather caused the aircraft to attempt to divert. After attempts to land at a number of French airports, the pilot decided to return to the United Kingdom as he was running short of fuel. The aircraft crashed whilst attempting to land at Lympne Airport
Lympne Airport
Lympne Airport , , was a military and later civil airfield at Lympne, Kent, United Kingdom, which operated from 1916 to 1984. RFC Lympne was originally an acceptance point for aircraft being delivered to, and returning from, France during the First World War...
.
Aircraft
The accident aircraft was Douglas C-47A G-AGJX, c/n 12014. The aircraft was built in 1942 and served with the United States Army Air Force as 42-92236United States military aircraft serials
In the United States, all military aircraft display a serial number to identify individual aircraft. Because these numbers are located on the aircraft tail, they are sometimes referred to unofficially as "tail numbers"...
. It was later transferred to the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
as FL604
United Kingdom military aircraft serials
In the United Kingdom to identify individual aircraft, all military aircraft are allocated and display a unique serial number. A unified serial number system, maintained by the Air Ministry , and its successor the Ministry of Defence , is used for aircraft operated by the Royal Air Force , Fleet...
. On 7 July 1944, it was sold to BOAC and registered G-AGJX. At the time of the accident, the aircraft had flown for 3,898 hours. It had been overhauled the previous month, and a new certificate of airworthiness had been issued on 31 December 1946.
The flight
The aircraft was operating a scheduled international flight from London Heathrow to West Africa, with a stopover at Bordeaux. Both captain and first officer were operating their first operational flight since the previous summer.The aircraft took off from Heathrow at 09:48 GMT
Greenwich Mean Time
Greenwich Mean Time is a term originally referring to mean solar time at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London. It is arguably the same as Coordinated Universal Time and when this is viewed as a time zone the name Greenwich Mean Time is especially used by bodies connected with the United...
. At 12:09, the aircraft was 4th in line to land at Bordeaux. At 12:28, a weather report for Bordeaux was transmitted to the aircraft. This stated "Visibility 1500 metres, 10/10 60–100 metres, WSW 20kms, Q.F.E.
Q code
The Q code is a standardized collection of three-letter message encodings, also known as a brevity code, all of which start with the letter "Q", initially developed for commercial radiotelegraph communication, and later adopted by other radio services, especially amateur radio...
1007.6". The direction of landing was given as 235°. By 12:30, the aircraft was next in line to land. At 1240, priority was given to a Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
Avro York
Avro York
The Avro York was a British transport aircraft that was derived from the Second World War Lancaster heavy bomber, and used in both military and airliner roles between 1943 and 1964.-Design and development:...
, which was flying on only three engines. The aircraft was ordered to fly a circuit of the airfield whilst the York landed. At 1254, the York landed, but had to backtrack along the runway because the perimeter track was unserviceable. At 12:58, the captain asked for the weather at Toulouse. At 12:59, the weather at Toulouse was sent to the aircraft. This stated "Ceiling 300 metres, visibility 2 km, wind E 10 km". With this report, the captain was informed that he was next in line to land at Bordeaux. The captain then told air traffic control
Air traffic control
Air traffic control is a service provided by ground-based controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and in the air. The primary purpose of ATC systems worldwide is to separate aircraft to prevent collisions, to organize and expedite the flow of traffic, and to provide information and other...
that he was diverting because the weather was below the minimum conditions permissible and asked for the weather at Toulouse. In evidence given to the enquiry, this was corroborated by the crew of British European Airways
British European Airways
British European Airways or British European Airways Corporation was a British airline which existed from 1946 until 1974. The airline operated European and North African routes from airports around the United Kingdom...
Dakota G-AGZX, which confirmed that the Toulouse weather was asked for. However, the radio operator recorded in his logbook "1300 hrs, set course for London". The aircraft turned on a heading back to England but then changed course for Paris. At 13:08, the weather at Bordeaux had deteriorated and the Q.G.O. message was sent to the aircraft, indicating that it was now prohibited from landing at Bordeaux.
The listed alternates for Bordeaux were Toulouse and Marignane
Marseille Provence Airport
Marseille Provence Airport or Aéroport de Marseille Provence is an airport located 27 km northwest of Marseille, on the territory of Marignane, both communes of the Bouches-du-Rhône département in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur région of France...
, although the aircraft was not carrying airfield information for either. At 13:13, a message was sent by radio to Air Traffic Control
Air traffic control
Air traffic control is a service provided by ground-based controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and in the air. The primary purpose of ATC systems worldwide is to separate aircraft to prevent collisions, to organize and expedite the flow of traffic, and to provide information and other...
(ATC) at Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
that the aircraft was returning to London. Pieces of paper found in the wreckage of the aircraft stated "E.T.A.
Estimated time of arrival
The estimated time of arrival or ETA is a measure of when a ship, vehicle, aircraft, cargo, emergency service or computer file is expected to arrive at a certain place...
London 15:18" and "E.T.A. Le Bourget 14:43". At 13:30, the aircraft changed course for Le Bourget. The captain then contacted Le Bourget and asked for the weather report. Gloucester were not informed of the change in plan until 14:06 when a message was sent that the aircraft was diverting to Le Bourged as the fuel reserve was inadequate to reach London. Some time between 14:10 and 14:15, the captain reported to Gloucester that his endurance was 1 hour 20 minutes and his position was 47°25′N 1°20′E. E.T.A.at Le Bourget was 14:45. At 14:14, Gloucester contacted ATC at Uxbridge
Uxbridge
Uxbridge is a large town located in north west London, England and is the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon. It forms part of the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is located west-northwest of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres...
and reported that the aircraft was diverting to Le Bourget short of fuel, and requested that the message was passed on to Orly Airport
Orly Airport
Paris-Orly Airport is an airport located partially in Orly and partially in Villeneuve-le-Roi, south of Paris, France. It has flights to cities in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Caribbean, North America and Southeast Asia. Prior to the construction of Charles de Gaulle Airport, Orly was...
. Orly contacted Le Bourget and requested that the aircraft be given priority for landing.
At 14:34, the captain called Le Bourget and gave his E.T.A. as 14:40, with an endurance of only 45 minutes. At 14:45, Le Bourget suggested that the aircraft land at Cormeilles. Le Bourget had a thunderstorm at the time. The aircraft was not carrying any information about Cormeilles, although BOAC had been informed of the airfield's suitability as an alternative landing site in the Paris area in a translation of a French notice to airmen
NOTAM
NOTAM or NoTAM is the quasi-acronym for a "Notice To Airmen". NOTAMs are created and transmitted by government agencies and airport operators under guidelines specified by Annex 15: Aeronautical Information Services of the Convention on International Civil Aviation...
dated 21 October 1946. The radio operator was unable to raise Cormeilles by radio, partly because the was using the wrong callsign of HTU (Morse
Morse code
Morse code is a method of transmitting textual information as a series of on-off tones, lights, or clicks that can be directly understood by a skilled listener or observer without special equipment...
· · · · — · · — · — ) instead of HXA (Morse · · · · — · · — · ). Cormeilles was handling a de Havilland Dragon Rapide
De Havilland Dragon Rapide
The de Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide was a British short-haul passenger airliner of the 1930s.-Design and development:Designed by the de Havilland company in late 1933 as a faster and more comfortable successor to the DH.84 Dragon, it was in effect a twin-engined, scaled-down version of the...
at the time, and could only handle one aircraft at a time by radio. The Dragon Rapide was G-AGWC, which was on a flight from Basle Airport, Switzerland and was also short of fuel. At 15:07, Cormeilles tried to make contact with the aircraft. At 15:14, contact was established and the captain erroneously stated that his endurance was five minutes. At 15:15, a Q.D.M. was asked for from Cormeilles, which was given as 219°. Cormeilles reported that the Q.S.A. was 1. The report concluded that the aircraft had set course for England at or shortly after 15:00.
On entering the cockpit, a steward was told that the aircraft may divert to RAF Manston
RAF Manston
RAF Manston was an RAF station in the north-east of Kent, at on the Isle of Thanet from 1916 until 1996. The site is now split between a commercial airport Kent International Airport and a continuing military use by the Defence Fire Training and Development Centre , following on from a long...
, which was equipped with FIDO
Fog Investigation and Dispersal Operation (FIDO)
Fog Investigation and Dispersal Operation was a system used for dispersing fog from an airfield so that aircraft could land safely...
. At 15:24, the aircraft contacted RAF Manston
RAF Manston
RAF Manston was an RAF station in the north-east of Kent, at on the Isle of Thanet from 1916 until 1996. The site is now split between a commercial airport Kent International Airport and a continuing military use by the Defence Fire Training and Development Centre , following on from a long...
and asked for the weather report. Manston had diffiulty communicating with the aircraft, which should have been communicating via Uxbridge ATC. It was not until 15:45 that Manston was able to locate the aircraft's position, which was then 9 miles (14.5 km) south east of Cap Gris Nez
Cap Gris Nez
Cap Gris Nez is a cape on the Côte d'Opale in the Pas-de-Calais département in northern France....
. At 15:52, the captain told Lympne
Lympne Airport
Lympne Airport , , was a military and later civil airfield at Lympne, Kent, United Kingdom, which operated from 1916 to 1984. RFC Lympne was originally an acceptance point for aircraft being delivered to, and returning from, France during the First World War...
that he had only 25 minutes fuel remaining. A PAN call
Pan-pan
In radiotelephone communications, a call of three repetitions of pan-pan is used to signify that there is an urgency on board a boat, ship, aircraft or other vehicle but that, for the time being at least, there is no immediate danger to anyone's life or to the vessel itself. This is referred to as...
was made at 15:58, followed by an SOS call
SOS
SOS is the commonly used description for the international Morse code distress signal...
at 16:02, giving the aircraft's position as 50°55′N 1°21′E. A further SOS call was made between 16:03 and 16:04 was abruptly curtailed. This was caused by the trailing aerial hitting the ground and breaking off some 2 miles (3.2 km) before the aircraft crashed.
The SOS had been received by both Manston and Uxbridge and lifeboats
Lifeboat (rescue)
A rescue lifeboat is a boat rescue craft which is used to attend a vessel in distress, or its survivors, to rescue crewmen and passengers. It can be hand pulled, sail powered or powered by an engine...
from Deal
Deal, Kent
Deal is a town in Kent England. It lies on the English Channel eight miles north-east of Dover and eight miles south of Ramsgate. It is a former fishing, mining and garrison town...
. Dungeness and Ramsgate
Ramsgate
Ramsgate is a seaside town in the district of Thanet in east Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century and is a member of the ancient confederation of Cinque Ports. It has a population of around 40,000. Ramsgate's main attraction is its coastline and its main...
were called out. A Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
Dakota was asked to keep a lookout. Two Avro Anson
Avro Anson
The Avro Anson is a British twin-engine, multi-role aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force, Fleet Air Arm and numerous other air forces prior to, during, and after the Second World War. Named for British Admiral George Anson, it was originally designed for maritime reconnaissance, but was...
s from RAF Thorney Island were also despatched to join the search.
Accident and aftermath
Whilst attempting to land at LympneLympne Airport
Lympne Airport , , was a military and later civil airfield at Lympne, Kent, United Kingdom, which operated from 1916 to 1984. RFC Lympne was originally an acceptance point for aircraft being delivered to, and returning from, France during the First World War...
, at 16:06, the aircraft crashed into Barley Hill, Hammond's Farm, Stowting
Stowting
Stowting lies between Canterbury, Folkestone, Ashford and Hythe. In 1947, a Douglas C-47A crashed on the hillside above the village, killing eight of the 16 people on board.There is a Church of England Primary school.-External links:*...
, Kent. The aircraft struck the ground at a shallow angle and then bounced for 50 yards (45.7 m) before crashing into trees. Due to the empty fuel tanks, there was no post-crash fire. The forward fuselage as far back as the cabin door was torn open. The starboard side of the fuselage was also torn open when the aircraft swung violently to port. The tail of the aircraft was largely undamaged. All seats were torn from their anchorages in the floor of the aircraft, although seatbelts remained fastened. Two crew and three passengers were killed in the crash, which was the first for BOAC since 1944.
The alarm was raised by a telephone call to police at Ashford
Ashford, Kent
Ashford is a town in the borough of Ashford in Kent, England. In 2005 it was voted the fourth best place to live in the United Kingdom. It lies on the Great Stour river, the M20 motorway, and the South Eastern Main Line and High Speed 1 railways. Its agricultural market is one of the most...
from an officer at Lyminge
Lyminge
Lyminge is a village in southeast Kent, England. It lies about five miles from Folkestone and the Channel Tunnel, on the road passing through the Elham Valley. The Nailbourne stream begins in the village and flows north through the Valley, to become one of the tributary streams of the Great Stour...
, which was received at 16:20, followed a few minutes later by another call from an officer at Folkestone
Folkestone
Folkestone is the principal town in the Shepway District of Kent, England. Its original site was in a valley in the sea cliffs and it developed through fishing and its closeness to the Continent as a landing place and trading port. The coming of the railways, the building of a ferry port, and its...
. At 17:12, the wreckage was reported as having been located. Villagers from Stowting assisted in the rescue. Ambulances from Ashford, Canterbury
Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
, Folkestone and Hythe
Hythe, Kent
Hythe , is a small coastal market town on the edge of Romney Marsh, in the District of Shepway on the south coast of Kent. The word Hythe or Hithe is an Old English word meaning Haven or Landing Place....
attended. The injured were taken to Willesborough Hospital. The first of the injured arrived at hospital at 18:00 and all the dead and injured had been extracted from the wreckage of the aircraft by 19:00.
One of the injured crew died on 12 January. Amongst the injured was Tom Horabin
Tom Horabin
Thomas Lewis Horabin was a British Liberal Party politician who defected to the Labour Party. He sat in the House of Commons from 1939 to 1950.- Early life :Horabin was born in Merthyr Tydfil...
, MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
. Another of the injured crew was transferred to the Joyce Green Hospital, Dartford
Dartford
Dartford is the principal town in the borough of Dartford. It is situated in the northwest corner of Kent, England, east south-east of central London....
, where he died on 14 January. The death of a passenger on 15 January brought the final toll to eight killed.
An inquest was opened on 13 January at Ashford. It was adjourned until 3 February. After a further adjournent, it concluded on 28 May 1947. A verdict of "accidental death" was returned on each of the victims.
Investigation
A preliminary investigation into the accident was opened on 13 January by the Ministry of Civil Aviation. The investigation was chaired by Lord NathanHarry Nathan, 1st Baron Nathan
Harry Louis Nathan, 1st Baron Nathan, PC was a Liberal politician, who later joined the Labour Party....
, who stated that he was considering whether or not a public enquiry should be held into the accident. In its 16 January 1947 issue, Flight magazine called for a public enquiry to be held. That day, it was announced that a Public Inquiry would be held.
The Public Inquiry opened on 23 January. Air Commodore
Air Commodore
Air commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Vernon Brown was in charge. He stated that the object of the inquiry was not to lay blame, but to discover facts. It was a normal Accidents Investigation Branch inquiry into an accident, with the exception that it was not being held in camera
In camera
In camera is a legal term meaning "in private". It is also sometimes termed in chambers or in curia.In camera describes court cases that the public and press are not admitted to...
on the instructions of Lord Nathan. There would be no cross-examination of witnesses. The French authorities had co-operated by providing relevant evidence and Max Hymans
Max Hymans
Max Hymans , was a notable leftist French politician, member of the resistance, and director of Air France.-Gallery:...
, head of the Direction Générale de l'Aviation Civile
Direction Générale de l'Aviation Civile
The Directorate General for Civil Aviation is the French civil aviation authority. It is headquartered in 15th arrondissement of Paris of Paris, 50, rue Henry-Farman. It is subordinate to the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development, Transport and Housing.The DGAC levys a civil aviation tax on...
represented the French Government along with other officials. The inquiry was closed on 27 January, concluding that mechanical failure was not the cause of the accident. Liaison between British and French authorities was an area of concern. On 29 January, Edward Smith
Edward Percy Smith
Edward Percy Smith was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom.Born in Wandsworth, London, he was elected as Member of Parliament for Ashford at a by-election in 1943, and held the seat until he stood down at the 1950 general election. Under the name Edward Percy, he was also a...
MP asked in Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
why the inquiry was taking place when not all the survivors were fit enough to give evidence. In a written answer, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Civil Aviation George Lindgren
George Lindgren, Baron Lindgren
George Samuel Lindgren, JP, DL was a British Labour Party politician.Born in Islington, London, at the 1935 general election, he was an unsuccessful candidate in the safe Conservative seat of Hitchin in Hertfordshire, coming a distant second with 36.7% of the votes.At the 1945 general election,...
replied that statements had been taken from nearly all survivors and that it was felt to be in the public interest to proceed without delay.
On 14 February, the inquiry was reopened to hear new evidence. The final report into the accident was published on 7 May. It was established that there was nothing mechanically wrong with the aircraft at the time it crashed, although the engines were operating at idle power. A number of issues were raised, including the rostering of the crew, the captain's failure to ensure that he had all necessary navigational information, the captain's decision to divert to Le Bourget instead of returning straight to England, the inability of Cormeilles to handle two aircraft at once, and the captain's decision to return to England being made too late. Five recommendations were made as a result of the investigation. These were in relation to crewing, crew route familiarisation, provision of route information to crews, the ability of airfields to handle more than one aircraft at a time by radio and the introduction of new systems of working between the United Kingdom and France in respect of the control of air traffic and the hand-over of flights between the two countries. The latter was reported as already being under consideration at the time the report was published.