Incident Overview
Date: Tuesday 21 March 1950
Aircraft Type: Bristol 170 Freighter 21
Owner/operator: Bristol Aeroplane Company
Registration Number: G-AHJJ
Location: near Cowbridge –
ÿ United Kingdom
Phase of Flight: Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.)
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4
Component Affected: Fuselage stern frame and fin attachment.Fuselage stern frame and fin attachment.
Category: Accident
A Bristol 170 Freighter 21 aircraft experienced a spin during a second test flight following a structural failure of the fuselage stern frame to which the fin is attached, resulting in a crash out of control. Excessive rudder movement at a speed exceeding 120 knots EAS is suspected as the primary cause.A Bristol 170 Freighter 21 aircraft experienced a spin during a second test flight following a structural failure of the fuselage stern frame to which the fin is attached, resulting in a crash out of control. Excessive rudder movement at a speed exceeding 120 knots EAS is suspected as the primary cause.
Description
Bristol 170 Freighter 21 had just been converted from Mk. 2A to Mk. 21 and was on its second test flight for the Certificate of Airworthiness renewal. Some 34 minutes past departure the aircraft entered a spin, crashing out of control. PROBABLE CAUSE: “The accident is a result of a structural failure of the fuselage stern frame to which the fin is attached and must be attributed to the application on the fin and rudder of a load greater than the design ultimate load. Calculations suggest that the cause of this overloading was excessive rudder movement at a speed greater than 120 knots EAS.”
Primary Cause
Structural failure of the fuselage stern frame to which the fin is attached, resulting in excessive rudder movement.Structural failure of the fuselage stern frame to which the fin is attached, resulting in excessive rudder movement.Share on:
