Date:	Sunday 11 June 1933
Time:	day
Type:	Handley HP.33 Page Clive Mk I
Owner/operator:	National Aviation Day Displays
Registration:	G-ABYX
MSN:	HP.35
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Other fatalities:	2
Aircraft damage:	Minor
Location:	Middleton Park, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Demo/Airshow/Display
Departure airport:	Middleton Park, Leeds, West Yorkshire
Destination airport:	Middleton Park, West Yorkshire
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Handley Page HP.33 Clive I: One of the Handley Page Hinaidi Mk.I prototypes, J9126, was rebuilt using a W.10 fuselage as a transport design, later converted to become Clive Mk.III, though not entering service as such. Later, registered as G-ABYX when sold to Sir Alan Cobham with his air circus and named "Youth of Australia" and later renamed "Astra".

Involved in a fatal flying accident 11/6/33: Two boys (spectators) were fatally injured when hit by G-ABYX when it undershot on landing, Middleton Park, Leeds, West Yorkshire, at the end of a flying display. The two fatalities were:

Fred Smith (aged 12) killed
Leslie Taylor (aged 8) killed

According to a contemporary newspaper report ("Yorkshire Post", Leeds 12th June 1933 page 7):

"Leeds Air Pageant Tragedy:
How Two Boys Were Killed.

The victims were named as Fred Smith (aged 12) of 25 Cameron St and Leslie Taylor (aged 8) of 9 Westbury St. were killed by a large aircraft coming in to land. The plane, a Handley Page airliner was being used to give flights to the public.

Coming in to land in windy conditions, it hit a down draught while headed towards a group standing outside the flying enclosure. Skimming just above the ground, either a wheel or the tail skid caught the boys. Others in the group only avoided being hit by throwing themselves on the ground. Another boy, Fred Hooper, who had cycled with Fred Smith from Cameron St had a lucky escape, when the sole of his boot was torn off by the aircraft.

The plane made a perfect landing; the pilot, Flight Lieutenant Hugh Johnston being unaware that anything had gone wrong."

Flt Lt Hugh Coleman Johnson (pilot) uninjured. This aircraft was first registered as G-ABYX 13/8/32 (C of A 3573/C of R 4779) to National Aviation Air Displays Ltd., Trafalgar Square, London WC.2, normally based at Ford Aerodrome, Yapton, West Sussex. Registration cancelled 2/11/35 due to "destruction or permanent withdrawl from use of aircraft"

NOTE: Reports in some sources that G-ABYX was scrapped later in 1933 are incorrect, not least because G-ABYX took part in a flypast to mark the official opening of Doncaster Aerodrome on 26/5/34 (see below).
The aircraft was later used by Sir Alan Cobham for an air-to-air refuelling trial aircraft with his new company Flight Refuelling Ltd, having been renamed "Astra". During November 1935 the registration was cancelled and it was scrapped.

Hugh Johnson was one of Sir Alan Cobham's pilots. He was later heavily involved in Cobham's air to air re-fuelling trials. Just before WW2 he appears to have been serving in the RAF but based in Canada still working in the air-to-air refuelling aircraft. He was recalled to the RAF when war was declared. In the 1960s he was working for the same company which was then known as Cobham PLC. It's probably fair to say he was one of the world's most important people within the field of air-to-air refuelling

1. Clayton, Donald C. Handley Page, an Aircraft Album. Shepperton, Surrey, UK: Ian Allan Ltd., 1969. ISBN 0-7110-0094-8.
2. Yorkshire Post, Leeds, 12th June 1933 page 7: transcription at http://www.fomp.co.uk/downloads/FOMP_newsletter_winter_2012.pdf
3. http://www.rcawsey.co.uk/Acc1934.htm
4. https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-ABYX.pdf
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handley_Page_Hinaidi#Variants
6. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AVIA 5/1C242 at http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C6576710
7. http://afleetingpeace.org/index.php/component/content/article/15-aeroplanes/76-register-gb-g-ab
8. https://www.yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk/aircraft/yorkshire/york33/abyx.html
9. https://www.leeds.gov.uk/parks-and-countryside/major-parks/middleton-park

Handley Page Clive G-ABYX at the official opening of Doncaster Aerodrome on 26/5/34:

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
15-May-2018 15:15	Dr. John Smith	Added
15-May-2018 17:52	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Aircraft type, Source, Narrative, ]
15-May-2018 18:00	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Embed code, Narrative, ]
19-May-2024 09:45	Nepa	Updated [Location, Destination airport, Operator, ]
19-Sep-2025 15:37	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative, Category, ]