Date:	Monday 15 April 1963
Time:	day
Type:	Druine D.31 Turbulent
Owner/operator:	Frederick George Bennett & Partner
Registration:	G-APBZ
MSN:	PFA/440
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Berck-sur-Mer, Pas de Calais -   France
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Private
Departure airport:	Rouen Airport, Rouen, France (URO/LFOP)
Destination airport:	Berck-Sur-Mer, Pas de Calais, France (LFAM)
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Force landed 15.4.63 on the beach near Berck-sur-Mer, Pas de Calais, France, and damaged beyond repair. Per a contemporary report in "Flight" magazine, 16 April 1964:

"Berck Accident Report: The official French report on the accidents to Auster 5 G-AHHS and Turbulent G-APBZ at Berck-sur-Mer on April 15,1963, has now been published by the Ministry of Aviation.

Operated by the Air Touring Club, the aircraft were flying in formation with a third machine from Rouen to Berck-sur-Mer when they encountered thick fog. When the aircraft arrived off Berck, G-AHHS made a turn at low altitude and crashed into the sea; G-APBZ was severely damaged on attempting a landing on the sand dunes; and the third aircraft, the only one of the three to carry radio equipment, landed normally at Le Treport aerodrome.

The pilot of the Auster, Mr C. A. Brackpool, and his wife were drowned; Mr Brackpool's other passenger, Mr A. W. Downs, and the pilot of the Turbulent, Mr J. Murphy, were injured.

The report states that the meteorological forecast for the route, given by telephone to Mr Brackpool and Mr Tyrrell, the pilot of the third aircraft, "apparently was not understood correctly."

The British pilots did not speak French and the meteorological officer did not speak English. "The conditions in which G-AHHS was flying," the report concludes, "—a turn at very low altitude over the sea, in mist and drizzle, with no horizon —explain how even a relatively experienced pilot would have struck the water. Such conditions would also lead to an accident in the case of a pilot with less than 200 hours' flight time who was attempting an emergency landing on unsuitable ground after approaching low over the hospital buildings.

"There seems no doubt that the imprudent decision to depart from Rouen (perhaps excusable in view of the language difficulties), then the decision to continue to Berck in spite of the clear deterioration observed in the weather conditions (and in infringement of the regulations) were the underlying causes of these accidents"

However, per UK Civil Aviation Authority records, the CAA were advised of a charge of ownership on 16.7.63 (but were not told of this until 17.4.64). Despite being an unflyable wreck, re-registered 23.4.64 to Rollason Aircraft And Engines Ltd of Croydon. Presumably the re-registration was for insurance purposes, rather than any intention to rebuild G-APBZ, as the registration was finally cancelled 27.7.64 as "PWFU" (="Permanently Withdrawn From Use"). Aircraft assumed to have been broken up for parts and scrapped.

1. https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-APBZ-1.pdf
2. https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-APBZ-2.pdf
3. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AVIA 101/57: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C5070067 [French investigation: includes French report and English translation]
4. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AVIA 101/58: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C5070068
5. https://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?79866-Rollason-Turbulent
6. https://www.tigerclub.co.uk/rollason.html_
7. https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1058625/
8. http://www.oldreigate.com/?goto=redhillaerodrome5
9. Turbulents G-APIZ (front) and G-APBZ (rear) at Coventry 1960: https://www.airteamimages.com/druine-turbulent_G-APIZ_-private_106225_large.html
10. https://www.oldmerstham.com/index.php?r=1&width=1366&height=768&goto=picture_3823
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berck

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
01-Aug-2009 23:26	VHKDK	Added
11-Dec-2011 14:09	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Nature, Source, Narrative]
04-Jun-2012 13:40	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Embed code]
26-May-2014 19:25	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
14-Mar-2019 15:42	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Operator, Source, Narrative]
27-Nov-2020 00:01	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]