This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can
submit corrected information.
Date: | Sunday 7 July 1963 |
Time: | day |
Type: | Miles M.38 Messenger 2A |
Owner/operator: | George Francis Gibson (regd. owner) |
Registration: | G-AJFC |
MSN: | 6349 |
Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3 |
Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
Location: | Bognor Regis Grammar School, Bognor Regis, West Sussex -
United Kingdom
|
Phase: | En route |
Nature: | Private |
Departure airport: | Sandown Airport, Sandown, Isle of Wight (EGHN) |
Destination airport: | Shoreham Airport, West Sussex (EGKA) |
Confidence Rating: | Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Narrative:c/n 6349: G-AJFC Messenger Mk.2A (155 hp Blackburn Cirrus Major III) with oval rear windows. Miles records state: No.22. Date delivered 26.3.47 at a gross cost of £2,875. Nil deposit but £287 10s. discount given. Net balance £2,587 10s. paid 28.3.47. Application for C of A and registration made as a Messenger (no Mark given) by Miles Aircraft Ltd., in February 1947. Registered G-AJFC to Miles Aircraft Ltd, Woodley 7.2.47 with C of R No.11242 and C of A No.9023 issued 14.3.47.
Cancelled and re-registered (C of R 11242/2 later R 2255/2) on 23.3.47 to T Shipside Ltd., Tollerton. New C of A A 2255 issued at this time. Cancelled 14.10.52 and re-registered (C of R 2255/3) on 4.11.52 to Derek Crouch (Contractors) Ltd., Peterborough.
Damaged tail wheel and rear fuselage landing at Bordeaux/Merignac 4.7.55, repaired locally. Cancelled 30.8.60 and re-registered (C of R R 2255/4) 1.9.60 to George Francis Gibson, High Wycombe; aircraft based at Booker
On 7.7.63: Written off (damaged beyond repair) in a flying accident. During a flight from Sandown, Isle of Wight, to Shoreham, West Sussex, the engine began to run very roughly when the aircraft was about 1/2 mile from the shore near Bognor Regis and at a height of about 1,000 ft. The pilot turned towards the shore and decided to make a forced landing onto a large playing field at Bognor Regis Grammar School. The landing was made successfully but the aircraft over-ran a deep ditch in the middle of the field and the starboard wheel was torn off. As a result, the aircraft swung through 180 degrees and was severely damaged. According to Peter Amos (Miles Aircraft - the Post-War Years) the pilot of G-AJFC was Mr George F. Gibson. There was a brief report in a contemporary newspaper ("Daily Herald" - Monday 8 July 1963):
"Plane crash-lands in playing field
The engine of a light plane flying from Sandown, Isle of Wight, to Shoreham, Sussex, failed yesterday over the English Channel.
The pilot. Mr. George Gibson, aged 43, from High Wycombe, Bucks, safely crash-landed in a playing held at Bognor Regis, narrowly missing a housing estate"
On 9.11.63: Registration G-AJFC finally cancelled as "destroyed"
Sources:
1. Survey of accidents to aircraft in the United Kingdom 1963 / CAA
2. "Daily Herald" - Monday 8 July 1963
3.
https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-AJFC-1.pdf 4.
https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-AJFC-2.pdf 5.
http://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=15738.0 6.
https://air-britain.com/pdfs/archive/Archive_2001.pdf 7. G-AJFC at Blackbushe, Hampshire 5-11-61:
https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1055784/ 8. G-AJFC at Eastleigh, Hampshire 11-5-62:
https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1597114 9.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Regis_School Revision history:
Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
22-Jul-2009 01:28 |
VHKDK |
Added |
15-Oct-2009 10:41 |
andrewaircraft |
Updated |
03-Dec-2012 16:11 |
Dr. John Smith |
Updated [Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
27-May-2015 16:55 |
harro |
Updated [Operator, Total occupants, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
04-Mar-2020 19:17 |
Dr. John Smith |
Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
11-Jun-2021 21:15 |
Dr. John Smith |
Updated [Source, Narrative] |
29-Sep-2022 01:40 |
Dr. John Smith |
Updated [Operator, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, Category] |
01-Oct-2022 19:50 |
Dr. John Smith |
Updated [Category] |