The Downend air crash occurred on 6 November 1957 when a prototype Bristol Britannia aircraft crashed in woods near Overndale Road in Downend, a suburb of

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

, England, on its landing approach at Filton airport during a test flight. All fifteen on board, four crew and 11 technicians, died in the crash.

Cause

The exact cause of the crash was never determined, but was suspected to be a malfunction of the autopilot, possibly due to faulty wiring. The company which manufactured the autopilot system issued a statement claiming it was not due to the autopilot system, but still altered the system in newer aircraft; the official report states unknown cause but "the autopilot system cannot be ruled out as the likely cause". Another source cites the cause as "...an instrument failure which ultimately led to a loss of control."

Casualties

All 15 aboard died in the crash. Despite the aircraft coming down in a residential area, nobody on the ground was killed. One woman, a resident of Overndale Road, was taken to hospital after being hurt by the impact blast when one of the engines and part of the wing landed next to her house while she was hanging washing on the line in the garden. Another man, who at the time was tiling the roof of a nearby house, broke his arm after falling having been shocked by the aircraft's low flight path.

Memorials

A memorial service was held at

Bristol Cathedral Bristol Cathedral, the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is the Church of England cathedral in the city of Bristol, England. Founded in 1140 and consecrated in 1148, it was originally St Augustine's Abbey but after the Dissolu ...

on 19 November 1957. Commemorative events were held on 25th and 34th anniversaries, when the first memorial plaque listing the names of the dead was erected at Downend Folk House. Downend Local History Society holds its meetings in the building, which have one of its rooms named Britannia Room. A memorial plaque at the crash site, now called Britannia Wood, was unveiled on 3 November 2007 by Beryl Statham, the pilot's widow.

References

External links

British Pathé - Air News - The Britannia Air Crash - 15 DeadPicture of crashed aircraft
{{Aviation accidents and incidents in 1957 Aviation accidents and incidents in 1957 1957 disasters in the United Kingdom 1957 in England Aviation accidents and incidents in England 1950s in Bristol Accidents and incidents involving the Bristol Britannia November 1957 events in the United Kingdom