ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 18805
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| Date: | Thursday 20 July 1995 |
| Time: | 20:01 |
| Type: | Fokker DR.1 (Redfern Replica) |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | G-BEFR |
| MSN: | WA1 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Stourhead Gardens, Mere, Wiltshire -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Demo/Airshow/Display |
| Departure airport: | Dunkeswell (EGTU) |
| Rendcomb, Gloucestershire | |
| Investigating agency: | AAIB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
There were many witnesses to the accident amongst the spectators attending the evening open air event at Stourhead Gardens. Several detailed statements about the aircraft were taken by local police officers and by the AAIB.
The sequence of events was formulated from consideration of these descriptions. The aircraft appeared in the vicinity of the site about two minutes early, and made a wide gentle circuit around the area awaiting the 19:00 hrs start time. The three SE5a aircraft were holding off a few miles away and were in radio contact with the pilot of G-BEFR on a pre-arranged frequency. The pilot called "running in, one minute" and that was the last transmission heard from the triplane.
As the aircraft commenced the run in for the first manoeuvre, it was seen to have a disturbance in pitch, followed a short time later by a very sharp and uncharacteristic pitch nose down to an almost vertical attitude. During the ensuing dive, the aircraft was observed to either wing rock or complete one or possibly two rotations.
The aircraft was banking to the left as it recovered from the dive and disappeared from the view of most spectators as it went behind some trees away from the gathered crowd. A small number of video recordings were obtained from spectators and examined by AAIB.
Only one short sequence showed the aircraft in flight just before the impact. The initial pitch down manoeuvre was not seen. The aircraft was seen pulling out from a dive but steeply banked to the left.
There was an indication in some video frames that the right aileron was up (roll right) but the left bank angle was maintained until the aircraft disappeared amongst the trees. The images of the aircraft were small and indistinct but they gave no indication of any major structural failure.
The aircraft collided with the top of a tree and spun to the ground, where a large fire engulfed it almost immediately. Two witnesses close to the impact point attempted to rescue the pilot but were prevented from doing so by the intensity of the fire. A post-mortem report showed that the pilot died as a result of the fire
Registration G-BEFR cancelled by the CAA on 1/11/1995 as "Destroyed" and "Addressee Status: Deceased"
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
1. AAIB: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/542300efed915d1371000af3/Redfern_Replica_Fokker_DR1__G-BEFR_03-96.pdf
2. CAA: https://siteapps.caa.co.uk/g-info/rk=BEFR
3. http://www.airliners.net/photo/Fokker-Dr-1-(replica)/0748212/M/
4. https://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?95557-Pre-Digital-Aircraft-Photos&p=1518316
5. https://www.flickr.com/photos/29126266@N00/2336939875
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 17-May-2008 11:10 | ASN archive | Added |
| 11-Nov-2012 13:51 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Damage, Narrative] |
| 10-Oct-2015 02:46 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Operator, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 01-Jun-2016 22:43 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Source] |
| 08-Jun-2016 16:45 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Source] |
| 04-Nov-2021 12:22 | GPrids | Updated [Time] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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