ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 18973
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| Date: | Tuesday 27 July 1976 |
| Time: | 17:56 LT |
| Type: |  Piper PA-23-250D Aztec |
| Owner/operator: | Air Navigation & Trading Co Ltd |
| Registration: | G-AYSF |
| MSN: | 27-3996 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 6 / Occupants: 6 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Great Hill, 7 miles NE of Moffat, Dunfresshire, Scotland -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Passenger - Non-Scheduled/charter/Air Taxi |
| Departure airport: | Blackpool, Lancashire (BLK/EGNH) |
| Perth/Scone Airfield, Scotland (EGPT/PSL) | |
| Investigating agency: | AIB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Piper Aztec G-AYSF was on a charter flight from Blackpool Airport to Perth Airport at Scone in Scotland.
The aircraft maintained contact with Air Traffic Control until shortly after passing over the Scottish Borders, heading for Talla VOR/DME —the air traffic control beacon located on the summit of Broad Law, West of the Megget Reservoir.
However, the aircraft failed to arrive over the VOR. It had crashed at a high rate of descent into Great Hill about 3.5nm short of the Talla VOR/DME and about 7 miles NE of Moffat in Dumfries and Galloway.
On impact with the ground, the resulting fuel spillage caused an intense fire, reducing much of the aircraft to ashes.
At the subsequent AAIB Inquiry, it was believed that the pilot lost control of the aircraft when the left engine failed — due, apparently to a severe oil leak — and he was unable to feather the propeller on that engine. Consequently, the aircraft began to lose height rapidly until it spun into the hillside.
The AAIB report does not specifically name Great Hill as the crash site. However, from the Latitude/Longditude co-ordinates provided by them, this is the nearest hill of approximately 2,500ft (the elevation specified in the Report).
All six occupants (the pilot and five passengers) died in this accident.On 19/10/1979, a lawsuit for punative damages was initiated against Piper Aircraft (airframe manufacturers), Avco Lycoming (engine manufacturers) and Hartzell Propellor Inc (manufacturers of the propellors) which named the six deceased as plaintiffs: William Fehilly, Liam Stuart Fehilly, William James McDougall Storm, David Vincent Moran and Peter Cunningham Scott.
William "Bill" Fehilly was a Millionaire and bingo hall owner, as well as manager of two very popular Scottish Rock Bands: "Nazareth", and "The Sensational Alex Harvey Band". Alex Harvey later wrote a song which included the lines: "my best friend was killed in an air crash, my brother died on the stage" - a reference to both this incident, and the death of Alex Harvey's brother Les, who was electrocuted on stage in Swansea in 1972 whilst performing with his band "Stone The Crows"
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
1. http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/HistoricalMaterial/G-AYSF.pdf
2. http://www.aaib.gov.uk/cms_resources.cfm?file=/3-1978%20G-AYSF.pdf
4. http://www.aircrashsites-scotland.co.uk/piper-250_great-hill.htm
5. https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1306615/
6. http://pa.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocViewer.aspx/xq/fac.19791019_0000043.MPA.htm/qx
7. https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1977/1977
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 17-May-2008 11:10 | ASN archive | Added |
| 01-Sep-2012 14:46 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Cn, Operator, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 08-Mar-2015 21:40 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 07-May-2015 20:12 | Andrew | Updated [Date] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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