26 April 1946 at 10:26 hrs – 21 Heavy Glider Conversion Unit, RAF Elsham Wolds – Airspeed Horsa II – RX777 – Sgt H E Ridgeway and crew - Training.
Location – 2½ miles south west of RAF Elsham Wolds airfield near River Ancholme and just over a mile west of the village of Elsham, North Lincs.
Above - A nice pic of a Horsa glider being towed by a Halifax in 1944.
Pilot and crew
Pilot - Sgt H E Ridgway – Glider Pilot Regiment – Seriously Injured.
Co-Pilot – Sgt A N Honeywell – Glider Pilot Regiment – Killed – Rests at Worleston ( St. Oswald ) Churchyard, Cheshire
Circumstances of loss ( Summary from AIB Report W2342 )
Accident
The Horsa was towed by a Handley Page Halifax MA132 for the purpose of carrying out an exercise which consisted of a release from the tug when heading into the wind at 2,000 ft and a subsequent landing on the airfield. After a normal take off the towing aircraft and glider climbed steadily away from the airfield with the glider taking up the high tow position.
On reaching 900ft the tug pilot commenced a gentle turn to port. As he did so the glider released the tow without warning. The Halifax pilot, W/O A Bountiff of 21 HGCU, watched the glider complete 2 left hand turns and, at the conclusion of the second turn, the glider’s bank increased and the port wing struck the ground. The glider pilot was seriously injured and the co-pilot killed instantly. The glider was a write off.
Weather.
At the time and place of the accident the weather was good. Visibility was 10 miles, surface wind southerly 9 mph and clous 3/10 at 1,800 ft and 9/10 at 2000 ft.
Pilot
Sgt Ridgway was interviewed in hospital by an instructor from 21 HGCU. He said that take off was normal and they climbed to approx 1,000 ft and the towing aircraft started a climbing turn to port. Ridgway allowed the glider to drop into the slipstream. Finding he was unable to recover normal position he decided to release and force land. After the release the glider continued in a descending turn to port and as the ground approached the degree of bank appeared to increase despite the fact he applied full opposite rudder and aileron to endeavour to raise the port wing.
The pilot had commenced training on Tiger Moths at 2 EFTS in Sept 45 and passed out after 50 hours flying experience. He was assessed as “good average “. In Oct 45 He was posted to 3 GTS where he trained on Hotspur gliders. He qualified after 35 hours flight time, 15 of which were solo. This accident occurred on his second flight as 1st pilot of the Horsa. His total experience on Horsa gliders was 1 hour 50 mins, only 15 mins of which were as first pilot.
Sgt Honeywell, the co-pilot, had no solo flying experience in Horsas and only 15 mins dual instruction in the type.
Aircraft
The glider was assembled from prefabricated parts at 6 MU and certified airworthy on the 27th March 45. It was transferred to 21 HGCU at Elsham Wolds. No replacements or repairs had been carried out apart from replacement of a nose strut and stub axle. The aircraft had 50 hours flying time at the time of the crash. 2 flights totalling 30 mins had been completed by this glider on the day of the accident and the daily inspection had been carried out the previous evening. A major inspection due on the 27th March 1946 had not been carried out.
Examination of the wreckage.
The crash occurred just outside a large field approx 2½ miles south west of the airfield boundary. The port wing tip of the glider struck the ground first in an almost vertical bank. The glider cartwheeled onto its nose, spun round and came to rest facing the direction of approach. The wreckage trail measured approx 100 yards.
The port aileron was approx 10 yards from the first point of impact and had broken centrally into 2 portions. The forward part of the fuselage including the pilot’s cockpit had been smashed and the rear portion had struck a tree. The outer portion of the port wing was reduced to matchwood but all the parts lay close to where the wing had struck the ground. The remainder of the port wing was still attached to the fuselage.
The starboard wing had fractured in download at the fuselage attachment points. The centre section was undamaged and the flaps were retracted.
Flying controls were checked and no trace of any pre crash defect could be found. The elevator tabs were undamaged and in neutral setting. There was no evidence of any failure in the airframe or controls except perhaps the port aileron in which the lug holding together the 2 halves of the aileron had failed in a manner suggestive of failure in fatigue. Parts of the aileron were sent to the RAE for examination. The RAE report concludes that the condition of the aileron was not consistent with a failure under flight loads and must be associated with wing failure, presumably on the ground impact.
Witnesses
Halifax pilot W/O A Bountiff.
He confirmed the circumstances set out in the first paragraph. The exercise required had been confirmed with the glider pilot before take off. The take off was normal. At 800 ft he started a gentle 10 degree turn to port. Just after this he felt the glider pull off with a jerk and he knew from experience that it must have been out of position. He watched the glider descend and make 2 wide circuits. On the second the port wing struck the ground and the glider cart wheeled to a standstill. He informed Flying Control by RT and guided the rescue squads to the scene of the crash by firing Very lights. He confirmed that the RT with the glider was working and noticed that the glider flaps were not down.
Several other witnesses gave testimony including 2 civilians working on the ground near the crash. All confirmed the circumstances set out above
Conclusion.
The accident was due to the inexperience of the glider pilot who allowed the glider to drop into the slipstream of the towing aircraft and, after casting off, stalled in a turn near the ground.
Signed – F E Hellyer for CI Accidents – 29th May 1946
Compiled by David Fell. Photo from my archive.
....................
|
