Stockport air disaster
Ringway Airport , Manchester, England | |
Passengers | 79 |
---|---|
Crew | 5 |
Fatalities | 72 |
Injuries | 12 |
Survivors | 12 |
On 4 June 1967, a
Accident
The aircraft,
Despite the crash occurring in a densely populated area, there were no fatalities on the ground.[3] Members of the public and police risked harm to save 12 people from the mangled debris. However, a fire started towards the rear of the aircraft after the fuel tanks had ruptured and wicked back through the cabin, engulfing and killing most of the fuel-soaked passengers.[4] As it was a Sunday and most people were not at work, the accident drew a large crowd, estimated at 10,000, hampering the rescue organisations.[5]
Investigation
Investigators with the
These problems had been noticed by pilots of other Argonauts before, but neither
A fuel problem had been noted on the aircraft five days earlier, but this did not come to light until four months after the crash. A third contributory factor was fatigue: the captain had been on duty for nearly 13 hours. This was within legal and operational limits, but the inquiry noted that he had made several errors in repeating ATC messages.[5]
The AIB also examined passenger and crew survivability during the accident.
Harry Marlow, the captain, survived but had amnesia and did not remember the accident, and the first officer died. The aircraft was over an open area at the time the starboard engines cut out, and AIB investigators believed that it became completely uncontrollable after the loss of power. There was testimony from witnesses that it made a pronounced turn to port and levelled out before descending into the crash site. This suggests that Marlow exerted a degree of control and successfully avoided hitting houses.[6][7]
Legacy
In 1998, a memorial plaque was unveiled by two survivors at the scene of the accident. In 2002, a campaign was launched to create a further memorial at the site, commemorating the rescuers who risked their lives to pull survivors from the burning aeroplane; the campaign was supported by the then Prime Minister Tony Blair.[8] The second memorial was unveiled that October.[9]
A service was held in 2007 to mark the 40th anniversary. On 4 June 2017, the 50th anniversary of the crash (and also a Sunday), a service was led at the time and place of the crash by the Bishop of Stockport, Libby Lane, and new information boards were unveiled giving details of the crash and the names of those who died. Ian Barrie, an aviation expert, and Roger Boden produced a documentary, Six Miles from Home, for the 50th anniversary.[7]
See also
- 1950 Australian National Airways Douglas DC-4 crash
- List of accidents and incidents involving commercial aircraft
- United Airlines Flight 608
- Dan-Air Flight 0034
- Air Tahoma Flight 185
References
- ^ Lashley, Brian (1 June 2007). "40 years after the Stockport air disaster". Manchester Evening News. M.E.N. Media. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
- ^ "G-INFO Database". Civil Aviation Authority.
- ^ "Stockport air crash". BBC. 28 October 2002. Retrieved 13 October 2009.
- ^ Maher, Paul (6 June 2007). "The blackest day in town's recent history". Stockport Express. M.E.N. Media. Archived from the original on 22 April 2013. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
- ^ a b c d "Stockport Accident Inquiry". Flight International. 7 December 1967. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
- ^ "Town to honour air disaster hero". Manchester Evening News. M.E.N. Media. 17 February 2007. Archived from the original on 10 March 2018. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
- ^ a b Mullen, Tom (4 June 2017). "Stockport air disaster: The holiday flight that ended in catastrophe". BBC.
There is evidence to suggest the pilot made efforts to steer the aircraft away from homes
- ^ "PM backs air disaster campaign". Stockport Express. M.E.N. Media. 3 April 2002. Archived from the original on 20 April 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2009.
- ^ "Why we fought for memorials ... and why the PM backed us". Stockport Express. M.E.N. Media. 6 June 2007. Archived from the original on 20 April 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2009.
Further reading
- Air Disaster, Vol. 4: The Propeller Era, by ISBN 1-875671-48-X, pp. 154–169.
- The Day the Sky Fell Down: The Story of the Stockport Air Disaster, by Stephen R. Morrin, 1998, ISBN 0-9534503-0-9.
- Six Miles from Home, by Stephen R. Morrin, 2017, ISBN 978-0-9935667-1-4.
External links
- Board of Trade inquiry report. 7 May 1968, retrieved 5 June 2022.
- "Special Report". Stockport Express. 2007. Archived from the original on 28 June 2009. Retrieved 9 October 2009. – 40th anniversary articles about the accident
- "Stockport Air Disaster". BBC Inside Out. BBC. 28 October 2002. Retrieved 21 April 2008.
A new generation are learning how these long-forgotten heroes played a courageous role in Cheshire's darkest day.
- Accident description at the Aviation Safety Network
- Names of passengers and crew. Retrieved 9 October 2009.
- Newsreel footage of crash site (1967) from British Pathé (Record No:44382) at YouTube
- Newsreel footage of wrecked aircraft reconstruction during investigation (1967) from British Pathé (Record No:45016) at YouTube