Incident Overview
Date: Sunday 2 December 1945
Aircraft Type: Handley Page HP.68 Hermes 1
Owner/operator: Handley Page Ltd
Registration Number: G-AGSS
Location: 5 km from Radlett Airfield –
ÿ United Kingdom
Phase of Flight: Initial climb
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Component Affected: Aircraft control system (specifically elevator)Aircraft control system (specifically elevator)
Category: Accident
On initial flight of the Handley Page HP.68 Hermes 1 prototype, an accident occurred due to elevator overbalance. The pilot’s actions, specifically the sudden climb, resulted in a loss of control, and the aircraft’s porpoising motions were not adequately explained. The pilot’s inability to maintain phase with increasing load resulted in a potential loss of control.On initial flight of the Handley Page HP.68 Hermes 1 prototype, an accident occurred due to elevator overbalance. The pilot’s actions, specifically the sudden climb, resulted in a loss of control, and the aircraft’s porpoising motions were not adequately explained. The pilot’s inability to maintain phase with increasing load resulted in a potential loss of control.
Description
The Handley Page HP.68 Hermes 1 prototype crashed on its initial flight. CONCLUSIONS: 1. It is considered that the accident was the direct result of elevator overbalance, this brought about flight conditions the nature of which caused the pilot to lose control. 2. Although the porpoising motions set up by the overbalanced elevators would have been expected, the final manoeuvre of the aircraft, in climbing suddenly, cannot be satisfactorily explained. 3. It seems certain, however, that at different trimmer settings, a reversal of stick forces would have occurred with which the pilot could not have kept in phase as the loads increased.
Primary Cause
Elevator overbalanceElevator overbalanceShare on:
