Date:	Tuesday 25 May 1948
Time:	09:20 UTC
Type:	Handley Page Halifax C.8
Owner/operator:	Alpha Airways (Pty) Ltd
Registration:	G-AKBA
MSN:	1303
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Albacete Airport, Albacete, Castile-La Mancha -   Spain
Phase:	Take off
Nature:	Cargo
Departure airport:	Albacete Airport, Albacete, Castile-La Mancha (ABC/LEAB)
Destination airport:	RAF Bovingdon, Hertfordshire
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Handley Page Halifax C.Mk.VIII: Built for the RAF as PP219. Sold on and civil registered as G-AKBA on 11 July 1947 to Airtech Ltd., Haddenham (Thame) Airport, near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. Sold on 5 May 1948 to Alpha Airways (Pty) Ltd, with owners address stated as being "Joannesburg, South Africa". Some sources indicate that the Halifax was leased rather than purchased.

Written off (damaged beyond repair) 25 May 1948 when crashed at Albacete Airport, Albacete Castile-La Mancha, Spain. The crew was engaged in carrying a cargo of 6,000 kilos of apricots to Bovingdon, Hertfordshire. Only 3 of the 4 engines were operational but the pilot, Denis Parsons, thought take off was possible. Unfortunately, on take-off, a patch of sand was encountered on the runway. Denis Parsons, a calm for RAF pilot was reported as saying "Oh dear". The undercarriage collapsed. All four crew survived unharmed.

The radio officer's daughter has post crash photos and his log book giving date and time of the crash. Other details such as sand, engine, Denis Parsons' opinion are all verbally reported by the radio officer to his daughter and other family.

Registration G-AKBA cancelled by the CAA on 25.5.1948 (same day as the accident) due to "destruction or permanent withdrawl from use of the aircraft"

1. Radio Officer's log book, photos of crashed aircraft, photos of crew posing with aircraft after crash. Verbal report of radio officer to his family.
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File BT 217/2186: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C576340
3. https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-handley-page-hp70-halifax-viii-albacete-4-killed
4. https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-AKBA.pdf
5. http://www.planecrashinfo.com/1948/1948-36.htm
6. http://halifax346et347.canalblog.com/archives/les_halifax_ii_v_iii_vi_et_vii_/index.html

Albacete, 25th May 1948

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
17-May-2008 11:10	ASN archive	Added
01-Jun-2010 08:11	TB	Updated [Aircraft type, Total fatalities, Other fatalities, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Damage, Narrative]
05-May-2013 23:58	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
27-Jan-2014 19:08	TB	Updated [Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Destination airport, Narrative]
09-Mar-2017 19:48	Dr.John Smith	Updated [Operator, Location, Phase, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
09-Mar-2017 19:51	Dr.John Smith	Updated [Nature, Narrative]
14-Oct-2018 18:28	gordonswing	Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Total fatalities, Other fatalities, Phase, Nature, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Photo]
22-Dec-2018 16:58	TB	Updated [Operator, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
22-Dec-2018 18:09	TB	Updated [Aircraft type]
29-Oct-2019 00:22	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
13-Dec-2019 17:53	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source]