1965 Little Baldon Hastings accident
Encyclopedia
The Little Baldon air disaster occurred on 6 July 1965 when a Handley Page Hastings C1A
transport aircraft operated by No. 36 Squadron
Royal Air Force
, registration TG577, crashed into a field in Little Baldon
, near Chiselhampton
, Oxfordshire, shortly after taking off from RAF Abingdon
. All 41 aboard, including six crew, perished in the crash, making it the third worst air crash in the United Kingdom at the time.
, Wiltshire, to RAF Abingdon. There it picked up a number of parachutists undergoing a short voluntary parachute course, drop them over RAF Weston-on-the-Green
and land at RAF Benson
. The passengers included eight RAF parachute jump instructors, three RAF air quartermasters, thirteen members of the RAF, three senior NCOs from the Parachute Regiment (two of them members of the Territorial Army), and seven Parachute Regiment recruits and a Royal Artillery
gunner from the Airborne Forces Depot at Aldershot. The Hastings departed from Abingdon but soon after take-off the aircraft climbed steeply out of control, stalled and crashed into a barley field at Little Baldon seven miles from Abingdon. The aircraft burst into flames as it hit the ground upside down killing the six crew and 35 passengers. It was reported from RAF Abingdon that the pilot had radioed he was in some sort of trouble before the radio went dead.
The first to arrive on the scene was the occupant of Little Baldon Farm Cottages, he said "I found wreckage scattered all over the place. I saw many bodies, and a helmet like the ones used by paratroops coloured bright red". A search for survivors was hampered by the tall crops and a number of helicopters from nearby RAF Benson
were used to search the field. Following the accident the Queen had a sent a message of sympathy to the next of kin.
within a few years of the accident.
was told that the accident was due to metal fatigue
of two bolts in the elevator
system. The failure of these two upper bolts would apply a force on the starboard bracket causing the corresponding lower bolts to also fail. This would cause a portion of the elevator to fail. The aircraft had flown 2,400 hours since it was last refurbished which the technical expert said was not excessive. Eye-witnesses had reported the aircraft attempted to climb vertically before one wing dropped and it dived vertically into the field. The inquest jury returned a verdict of accidental death with a statement from the foreman We trust that every precaution will be taken in the future.
of St. Lawrence, Toot Baldon
has a marble memorial plaque to the victims with a small roll of honour
beneath. An RAF ensign
and a standard
of the Oxford Branch of the Parachute Regimental Association flank the memorial. Wreaths are laid at the memorial during an annual commemorative service at the church, usually on the first Sunday in July.
Handley Page Hastings
The Handley Page H.P.67 Hastings was a British troop-carrier and freight transport aircraft designed and built by Handley Page Aircraft Company for the Royal Air Force...
transport aircraft operated by No. 36 Squadron
No. 36 Squadron RAF
No. 36 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps was formed at Cramlington on February 1, 1916 and was disbanded for the last time in 1975.-First World War:No...
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...
, registration TG577, crashed into a field in Little Baldon
Little Baldon
Little Baldon is a hamlet in Toot Baldon civil parish, about southeast of Oxford in Oxfordshire, lying south of Marsh Baldon and west of Chiselhampton....
, near Chiselhampton
Chiselhampton
Chiselhampton is a village on the River Thame about southeast of Oxford in Oxfordshire, England.-Toponym:"Chisel" is derived from the old English ceosel or cisel meaning "gravel" or "shingle", referring to the river gravel beside the Thame on which some of the village is built. In a document dated...
, Oxfordshire, shortly after taking off from RAF Abingdon
RAF Abingdon
RAF Abingdon was a Royal Air Force station near Abingdon, Oxfordshire. It is now known as Dalton Barracks and is used by the Royal Logistic Corps....
. All 41 aboard, including six crew, perished in the crash, making it the third worst air crash in the United Kingdom at the time.
Flight history
The four-engined Hastings was to, on the day of the accident, fly from its base at RAF ColerneRAF Colerne
RAF Colerne now known as Colerne Airfield or AEF Colerne is a former World War II RAF Fighter Command and Bomber Command airfield located on the outskirts of the village of Colerne, Wiltshire...
, Wiltshire, to RAF Abingdon. There it picked up a number of parachutists undergoing a short voluntary parachute course, drop them over RAF Weston-on-the-Green
RAF Weston-on-the-Green
RAF Weston-on-the-Green is a former Royal Flying Corps station that was redeveloped after the great war period. Much demolition took place . The former RFC Officers and Sergeant's messes are located on the opposite side of the road, and are now in commercial use...
and land at RAF Benson
RAF Benson
RAF Benson is a Royal Air Force station near Benson in South Oxfordshire, England. It is home to the Royal Air Force's support helicopters, the Aérospatiale Puma and the EH-101 Merlin, known as the Puma HC.Mk 1 and the Merlin HC.Mk 3 and Mk 3a....
. The passengers included eight RAF parachute jump instructors, three RAF air quartermasters, thirteen members of the RAF, three senior NCOs from the Parachute Regiment (two of them members of the Territorial Army), and seven Parachute Regiment recruits and a Royal Artillery
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
gunner from the Airborne Forces Depot at Aldershot. The Hastings departed from Abingdon but soon after take-off the aircraft climbed steeply out of control, stalled and crashed into a barley field at Little Baldon seven miles from Abingdon. The aircraft burst into flames as it hit the ground upside down killing the six crew and 35 passengers. It was reported from RAF Abingdon that the pilot had radioed he was in some sort of trouble before the radio went dead.
The first to arrive on the scene was the occupant of Little Baldon Farm Cottages, he said "I found wreckage scattered all over the place. I saw many bodies, and a helmet like the ones used by paratroops coloured bright red". A search for survivors was hampered by the tall crops and a number of helicopters from nearby RAF Benson
RAF Benson
RAF Benson is a Royal Air Force station near Benson in South Oxfordshire, England. It is home to the Royal Air Force's support helicopters, the Aérospatiale Puma and the EH-101 Merlin, known as the Puma HC.Mk 1 and the Merlin HC.Mk 3 and Mk 3a....
were used to search the field. Following the accident the Queen had a sent a message of sympathy to the next of kin.
Grounding
Concerned by the finding of a fractured bolt in the elevator control system the Ministry of Defence had grounded all 80 operational Hastings Within a few days of the accident. The grounding brought forward the retirement of the type and replacement by the Lockheed HerculesC-130 Hercules
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed, now Lockheed Martin. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport...
within a few years of the accident.
Investigation
The subsequent inquestInquest
Inquests in England and Wales are held into sudden and unexplained deaths and also into the circumstances of discovery of a certain class of valuable artefacts known as "treasure trove"...
was told that the accident was due to metal fatigue
Metal Fatigue
Metal Fatigue , is a futuristic science fiction, real-time strategy computer game developed by Zono Incorporated and published by Psygnosis and TalonSoft .-Plot:...
of two bolts in the elevator
Elevator (aircraft)
Elevators are flight control surfaces, usually at the rear of an aircraft, which control the aircraft's orientation by changing the pitch of the aircraft, and so also the angle of attack of the wing. In simplified terms, they make the aircraft nose-up or nose-down...
system. The failure of these two upper bolts would apply a force on the starboard bracket causing the corresponding lower bolts to also fail. This would cause a portion of the elevator to fail. The aircraft had flown 2,400 hours since it was last refurbished which the technical expert said was not excessive. Eye-witnesses had reported the aircraft attempted to climb vertically before one wing dropped and it dived vertically into the field. The inquest jury returned a verdict of accidental death with a statement from the foreman We trust that every precaution will be taken in the future.
Memorial
The Church of England parish churchChurch of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
of St. Lawrence, Toot Baldon
Toot Baldon
Toot Baldon is village and civil parish about southeast of Oxford in Oxfordshire.The Church of England parish church of Saint Lawrence was built mostly in the 13th century. The Gothic Revival architect Henry Woodyer restored the building in 1865...
has a marble memorial plaque to the victims with a small roll of honour
Roll of Honour
Roll of Honour may refer to:*A memorial list of names of people who have died in military, police service or other services*Roll of Honour , an Irish Republican song praising the participants in the 1981 Irish Hunger Strike...
beneath. An RAF ensign
Royal Air Force Ensign
The Royal Air Force Ensign is the official flag which is used to represent the Royal Air Force. The Ensign has a field of air force blue with the Union Flag in the canton and the Royal Air Force roundel in the middle of the fly....
and a standard
Flag
A flag is a piece of fabric with a distinctive design that is usually rectangular and used as a symbol, as a signaling device, or decoration. The term flag is also used to refer to the graphic design employed by a flag, or to its depiction in another medium.The first flags were used to assist...
of the Oxford Branch of the Parachute Regimental Association flank the memorial. Wreaths are laid at the memorial during an annual commemorative service at the church, usually on the first Sunday in July.