ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 18648
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| Date: | Monday 11 December 1972 |
| Time: | 18:50 UTC |
| Type: |  Cessna F172H Skyhawk (Reims) |
| Owner/operator: | Kamtec Limited |
| Registration: | G-AVHI |
| MSN: | F172-0343 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | North Sea, 44 nm east of Wick, Scotland -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Aberdeen (ABZ/EGPD) |
| Newcastle (NCL/EGNT) | |
| Investigating agency: | AIB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities |
Written off (presumed destroyed) when crashed into the North Sea, 44 nautical miles east of Wick, Scotland. The pilot (the sole person on board) was killed. According to the following extract form the official AAIB report into the accident:
"The aircraft was on a private flight from Aberdeen to Manchester via Newcastle. The pilot 'booked out' and left Aberdeen at 14:38 hrs and subsequently reported his position as over Dundee, after which he was in constant radio contact with ATC indicating his apparent progress towards Newcastle.
He did not at any time indicate that he was either lost or in difficulty however. The aircraft was eventually located by radar at a position, over the North Sea about 90 nautical miles North-Northeast (NNE) of Aberdeen. The pilot was given a course to steer for the nearest land, and provided with a Royal Air Force (RAF) Nimrod aircraft escort, but he ditched 44 nautical miles from land when his aircraft ran out of fuel.
The area was searched during the night, and throughout the daylight hours of the following day. Neither wreckage nor the body of the pilot has since been found.
It is concluded that the pilot who was attempting a flight beyond his training, experience and ability became lost without realising it whilst flying in extremely bad weather conditions. As a result the aircraft flew too far out over the sea to be able to return over the land before running out of fuel."
On 4/7/1974, an engine with a propeller attached was recovered from the sea bed in the nets of a fishing trawler, in the approximate location of where G-AVHI ditched. This became the only physical piece of G-AVHI that was ever recovered - a check on the engine serial number confirmed it was the same engine that was fitted to G-AVHI. However, the recovery only confirmed that there was no fire or mechanical failure in the engine at the time of the crash, and that the propeller was in a good condition, and was probably not rotating at the point of impact with the water.
The pilot was killed, and the AAIB report names him as Mr. H.A. Komelson. The registration G-AVHI was formally cancelled by the CAA 14/3/73 as aircraft "destroyed"
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
1. AAIB: https://assets.digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk/media/5422f778ed915d1374000657/14-1974_G-AVHI.pdf
2. CAA: https://www.caa.co.uk/docs/HistoricalMaterial/G-AVHI.pdf
3. [LINK NOT WORKING ANYMORE:http://coptercrazy.brinkster.net/search/f172show.asp?start=301&count=50]
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 17-May-2008 11:10 | ASN archive | Added |
| 20-Sep-2011 06:13 | Uli Elch | Updated [Aircraft type, Cn, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 23-Aug-2012 15:55 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 30-Jul-2015 23:58 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 31-Jul-2015 00:01 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Embed code] |
| 19-Oct-2015 17:01 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
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