A late variant Sea Vixen similar to the DH.110 |
|
| Accident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | 6 September 1952 |
| Type | structural failure (faulty design) |
| Site | Hampshire, England |
| Crew | 2 |
| Injuries | ~60 spectators |
| Fatalities | 31 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Aircraft type | DH.110 |
| Operator | de Havilland |
| Tail number | WG236 |
The 1952 Farnborough DH.110 crash was an air show accident that killed 29 spectators, the pilot (John Derry),[1] and the onboard flight test observer (Anthony Richards)[2] when during a manoeuvre, the aircraft broke up due to a faulty wing leading edge design. The DH.110 was grounded and strict safety procedures were subsequently enacted (no member of the public has been killed at a British air show since).
Contents |
The planned demonstration of the DH.110 on that day was nearly cancelled when the aircraft at Farnborough, an all-black nightfighter prototype went unserviceable. It had been taken supersonic over the show on the opening day.[3] Derry and Richards left Farnborough to collect WG 236 and flew it from Hatfield to Farnborough with just enough time to start their slot. Following a low-level supersonic flypast and during a left bank at ~450 knots (833 km/h) toward the air show's 120,000 spectators, the pilot started a climb. The outer starboard wing and, immediately afterward, the outer port wing broke off the aircraft; followed by both engines and the cockpit—the latter injuring several spectators.[4] One engine broke into two sections and "ploughed into ... Observation Hill", injuring and killing numerous other spectators.[4]
Following the accident the air display programme continued once the debris was cleared from the runway with Neville Duke exhibiting the prototype Hawker Hunter and taking it supersonic over the show later that day.
Both The Queen and Duncan Sandys, the Minister of Supply, sent messages of condolences, and jets at air shows were obliged to keep at least 230 m (750 ft) from crowds if flying straight and 450 m (1,480 ft) when performing manoeuvres and always at an altitude of at least 150 m (490 ft).[2] The coroners jury recorded the deaths of Derry and Richards as "died accidentally in the normal course of their duty." Of the spectators killed the jury recorded that "the deaths were accidental" adding that "no blame is attached to Mr. John Derry".[5] The accident report of 8 April 1953 stated the manoeuvring had caused an airframe instability due to a faulty D-nose leading edge arrangement (which had successfully been used in the lighter subsonic de Havilland Vampire). The redesigned DH.110 resumed flights in June 1953 and was eventually developed into the successful de Havilland Sea Vixen naval fighter.[6]
| External media | |
|---|---|
| Images | |
| photos with eyewitness narrative | |
| Videos | |
| newsreel (Adobe Flash) | |
|
|||||||||||