Incident Overview
Date: Friday 20 September 1957
Aircraft Type: Vickers Varsity T.1
Owner/operator: Royal Air Force – RAF
Registration Number: WL640
Location: Falstone, Northumberland –
ÿ United Kingdom
Phase of Flight: En route
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 5
Component Affected: Aircraft Structure (specifically, the Varsity)Aircraft Structure (specifically, the Varsity)
Category: Accident
A pilot lost control of an aircraft at 14,000 feet, resulting in a dive and subsequent breakup. The aircraft was operating a navigation training exercise on RAF Thorney Island, with the Varsity attached to the 2 ANS. The Board of Inquiry was unable to determine the precise cause of the breakup, concluding it was likely due to overstress, but lacked sufficient evidence to pinpoint the reason.A pilot lost control of an aircraft at 14,000 feet, resulting in a dive and subsequent breakup. The aircraft was operating a navigation training exercise on RAF Thorney Island, with the Varsity attached to the 2 ANS. The Board of Inquiry was unable to determine the precise cause of the breakup, concluding it was likely due to overstress, but lacked sufficient evidence to pinpoint the reason.
Description
At 14,000 feet the pilot lost control of the aircraft resulting in a dive, the aircraft then began to break up at around 1,500 feet. The Varsity was attached to the 2 ANS at RAF Thorney Island and operated on a navigation training exercise. A Board of Inquiry into the accident was held but was unable to determine the cause of the accident. Only those on board knew what had really occurred but our records indicate that the Board, whilst unable to say for certain what had happened, concluded that the mostly likely reason that the aircraft broke up was that it had been overstressed but there was no evidence to say why this had occurred and the Board could only conjecture.
Primary Cause
OverstressOverstressShare on:
