ASN Aircraft accident Douglas DC-3D EI-ACF Spernall
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Status:Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Date:Thursday 1 January 1953
Time:11:00
Type:Silhouette image of generic DC3 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different
Douglas DC-3D
Operator:Aer Lingus
Registration: EI-ACF
MSN: 42957
First flight: 1946
Total airframe hrs:10968
Crew:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3
Passengers:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 22
Total:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 25
Aircraft damage: Damaged beyond repair
Location:Spernall (   United Kingdom)
Phase: En route (ENR)
Nature:International Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport:Dublin Airport (DUB/EIDW), Ireland
Destination airport:Birmingham International Airport (BHX/EGBB), United Kingdom
Narrative:
DC-3 EI-ACF "St Kieran" departed Dublin a 09:36 for a flight to Birmingham. At about 11:00 both engines quit, forcing the crew to carry out a forced landing.

Probable Cause:

PROBABLE CAUSE: "The primary cause of the accident was loss of engine power due to fuel starvation. The Inquiry found that this was caused by selecting the port engine to the right main tank to which the starboard engine was also selected. The loss of engine power alone was the sole cause of the accident, which could have been avoided had the crew diagnosed the cause of the trouble and changed the fuel feed to another tank. The failure to diagnose fuel starvation was probably due to the circumstances, i.e. first the lack of co-ordinated effort by the captain and first officer after the engines out; second, the knowledge of the crew that ample fuel for the flight was on board and their belief that the engines were drawing from their respective main tanks. The actual forced landing of the aircraft in conditions of low cloud, poor forward visibility and unfavourable terrain was skillfully executed and resulted in the passengers escaping unharmed."

Classification:
All engine powerloss
Forced landing outside airport

Sources:
» ICAO Circular 38-AN/33 (134-137)
» Tommy Hanley, Irish Aviator


Photos

photo of Douglas-DC-3D-EI-ACF
accident date: 01-01-1953
type: Douglas DC-3D
registration: EI-ACF
 

Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Dublin Airport to Birmingham International Airport as the crow flies is 319 km (199 miles).

This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
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