1952 Farnborough Airshow crash



The DH.110 prototype, WG236

Accident
Date: 6 September 1952
Summary: In-flight breakup due to structural failure
Site: Farnborough Airport, Hampshire, England
Coordinates: 51°16′33″N 00°46′35″W
Aircraft type: de Havilland DH.110
Fatalities: 31 (2 on board plus 29 on ground)
Injuries: 60 spectators

On 6 September 1952, a prototype de Havilland DH.110 jet fighter crashed during an aerial display at the Farnborough Airshow in Hampshire, England. The jet disintegrated mid-air during an aerobatic manoeuvre, causing the death of pilot John Derry and onboard flight test observer Anthony Richards. Debris from the aircraft fell onto a crowd of spectators, killing 29 people and injuring 60.

The cause of the break-up was later determined to be structural failure due to a design flaw in the wing's leading edge. All DH.110s were initially grounded, but after modification to its design, the type entered service with the Royal Navy as the Sea Vixen. Stricter safety procedures were subsequently enacted for UK air shows and there were no further spectator fatalities until the 2015 Shoreham Airshow crash in which 11 people died.

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Crash

The planned demonstration of the DH.110 on that day was nearly cancelled when the aircraft at Farnborough, WG 240, an all-black night fighter prototype, became unserviceable. It was de Havilland's second DH.110 prototype, and had been taken supersonic over the show on the opening day. Derry and Richards then collected WG 236, the first DH.110 prototype, from de Havilland's factory in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, and flew it to Farnborough, starting their display at around 3:45 p.m.

Following a supersonic dive and flypast from 40,000 feet (12,000 m) and during a left bank at about 450 knots (830 km/h; 520 mph) toward the air show's 120,000 spectators, the pilot pulled up into a climb. In less than a second, the aircraft disintegrated: the outer sections of the wing, both engines and the cockpit separated from the airframe. The cockpit, with the two crew members still inside, fell right in front of the spectators nearest the runway, injuring several people. The engines travelled much further on a ballistic trajectory; one engine crashed harmlessly, but the second one ploughed into the so-called Observation Hill, causing most of the fatalities. The rest of the airframe fluttered down and crashed on the opposite side of the runway.

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The Farnborough Air Show Tragedy on Film (1952) | British Pathé
2,476,017 views Jul 28, 2011

British Pathé
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This tragic footage shows the horrifying crash at the Farnborough Air Show in 1952 after pilot, John Derry, broke the sound barrier with the de Havilland DH.110 Sea Vixen. John Derry, the flight observer and 29 spectators were killed during this terrible incident.

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(Film ID: 28.20)

The Farnborough Air Show Tragedy on Film, 1952: Horrifying scenes took place in Hampshire after pilot John Derry, broke his DH. 110 through the sound barrier and flew low over the airfield in front of 120,000 spectators. However, a fault developed in the aircraft and to the horror of the crowd the plane disintegrated in front of them. Debris, including the jet engines, was catapulted towards picnicking families. The pilot, flight observer and 29 spectators were killed.

Watch More Tragic Examples of Disasters Caught on Film: https://goo.gl/VV8b57

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