1965 Little Baldon Hastings accident

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.^[1] All 41 aboard, including six crew, perished in the crash, making it the third worst air crash in the United Kingdom at the time.^[2]

Flight history

On the day of the accident, the four-engined Hastings flew from its base at RAF Colerne, Wiltshire, to RAF Abingdon, where it picked up a number of parachutists undergoing a short voluntary parachute course. The intention was to drop them over RAF Weston-on-the-Green, after which the aircraft would land at RAF Benson.^[2] The passengers included eight RAF parachute jump instructors, three RAF Air Loadmasters, 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.^[2] 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, situated approximately four miles from Abingdon.^[2] 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.^[2]

The first person to arrive on the scene was the occupant of Little Baldon Farm Cottages, who stated "I found wreckage scattered all over the place. I saw many bodies, and a helmet like the ones used by paratroops coloured bright red".^[2] A search for survivors was hampered by the tall crops, so a number of helicopters from nearby RAF Benson were used to search the field.^[2] Following the accident the Queen had a sent a message of sympathy to the next of kin.^[2]

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.^[3] The grounding brought forward the retirement of the type and replacement by the Lockheed Hercules within a few years of the accident.

Investigation

The subsequent inquest was told that the accident was due to metal fatigue of two bolts in the elevator system.^[4] 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.^[4] The aircraft had flown 2,400 hours since it was last refurbished which the technical expert said was not excessive.^[4] Eyewitnesses had reported the aircraft attempted to climb vertically before one wing dropped and it dived vertically into the field.^[4] 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.^[4]

Memorial

Memorial tablet in St. Lawrence' parish church

The Church of England parish church 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.

References

Notes

Local Web Page on disaster