The 1934 Hillman's Airways de Havilland Dragon Rapide crash occurred on 2 October 1934 when a de Havilland DH.89A Dragon Rapide of Hillman's Airways crashed into the

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...

off

Folkestone Folkestone ( ) is a port town on the English Channel, in Kent, south-east England. The town lies on the southern edge of the North Downs at a valley between two cliffs. It was an important harbour and shipping port for most of the 19th and 20t ...

, Kent, killing all seven people on board. The aircraft was operating an international scheduled passenger flight from Abridge Aerodrome to Le Bourget Airport, Paris. The accident resulted in the first write-off of a Dragon Rapide.

Aircraft

The accident aircraft was de Havilland DH.89A Dragon Rapide G-ACPM, c/n 6251. This aircraft was the first production Dragon Rapide. The aircraft had been entered in the 1934

King's Cup Race The King's Cup air race is a British handicapped cross-country event, which has taken place annually since 1922. It is run by the Royal Aero Club Records Racing and Rally Association. The King's Cup is one of the most prestigious prizes of the ...

Lord Wakefield Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ...

but withdrew at Waddington following hail damage. It had been delivered to Hillman's Airways on 27 July.

Accident

The flight had departed Abridge at 10 am. Cloudbase was and visibility was but decreased in rain within half an hour of the aircraft's departure. At 10.47, the aircraft was approaching the coast and the pilot asked

Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensi ...

for a radio bearing. The bearing received placed him north of

Dover Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...

. The normal route in conditions of bad visibility was from Dungeness to Le Touquet. The pilot turned south to regain his course. At about 11:02, the aircraft dived into the sea and was destroyed, killing all seven people on board. The location of the accident was off Folkestone. The crash was heard by the crew of the German . A boat was lowered and some wreckage and two bodies were discovered within ten minutes. Visibility at the time was poor in patchy rain with a cloudbase of The British

coaster Coaster (stylized as COASTER) is a commuter rail service in the central and northern coastal regions of San Diego County, California, United States operated by the North County Transit District (NCTD). The commuter rail line features eight s ...

SS ''Snowcrete'' joined the search. Its boat recovered a third body. The Southern Railway's cross-channel ferry also joined the search. Two more bodies were recovered. The victims were transferred to ''Biarritz'' which took them to Folkestone before resuming her voyage to

Boulogne Boulogne-sur-Mer (; pcd, Boulonne-su-Mér; nl, Bonen; la, Gesoriacum or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department of Pas-de-Calais. Boulogne lies on the ...

. The Dover Lifeboat and a

tug A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, suc ...

from Dover searched for the remaining two victims. Wreckage from the aircraft was landed at Dover and Folkestone. The accident resulted in the first write-off of a Dragon Rapide. The inquest into the deaths of the five people whose bodies had been recovered was opened by the Folkestone Coroner at

Folkestone Town Hall Folkestone Town Hall, also known as The Guildhall, is a municipal building in Guildhall Street, Folkestone, Kent, England. The town hall, which was the headquarters of Folkestone Borough Council, is a Grade II listed building. History The first ...

on 4 October. Evidence was given that the aircraft had probably crashed into the sea at high speed and all victims had died from multiple injuries. A verdict of "accidental death" was returned on all five victims. An

Air Ministry The Air Ministry was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the Secretary of State ...

investigation determined the cause of the accident to be pilot error due to the pilot's lack of experience in navigation and blind flying. Although conditions lower down were extremely poor, there was little cloud between . The sea was calm and the pilot was unable to distinguish its surface.

Casualties

The nationalities of the victims were:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hillman's Airways De Havilland Dragon Rapide Crash Aviation accidents and incidents in 1934 Accidents and incidents involving the de Havilland Dragon Rapide Aviation accidents and incidents in Kent Folkestone 1934 in England History of the English Channel Hillman's Airways accidents and incidents 1934 disasters in the United Kingdom October 1934 events