ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 211672
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| Date: | 10-APR-1926 |
| Time: | 11: 00 LT |
| Type: | Vickers Vimy |
| Owner/operator: | Inland Area Aircraft Depot, Henlow |
| Registration: | F9184 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4 |
| Other fatalities: | 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
| Location: | RAF Henlow, Bedfordshire -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Henlow, Bedfordshire |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Vickers Vimy F9184, Inland Area Aircraft Depot, Henlow: Written off (destroyed) 10/4/1926 in a mid air collision with Avro 504K H9535 (also of Inland Area Aircraft Depot, Henlow), over RAF Henlow, Bedfordshire. Both aircraft fell to the ground locked together, and caught fire on impact All four crew of the Vickers Vimy, and the pilot of the Avro 504K were killed. Crew of Vickers Vimy F9184 were:
Flying Officer Charles Victor Lacey AFC (aged 39) killed
L.A/C Reginald Richard Germain (Service Number 330869, aged 24) killed
L.A/C Basil Henry Greene Young (Service Number 361781, aged 22) killed
AC.1 James William Simmons (Service Number 328869, aged 24) killed
In addition, Flying Officer William Scott (aged 49) the pilot of Avro 504K H9535 was killed. The RAF Henlow ORB (Operations Record Book - Air Ministry Form F540) records "...all were burnt to death. The Avro pilot by F/O Scott flew into the underside of the Vickers Vimy, which was testing parachutes"
According to a contemporary newspaper report ("The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA) Monday 12 Apr 1926 Page 9):
"ANOTHER AERIAL DISASTER.
WORST SINCE THE WAR.
FIVE MEN BURNT TO CINDERS.
A mid-air collision in Bedfordshire on Saturday resulted in five men losing their lives, the bodies being reduced to cinders by a fire which broke out when the planes crashed.
LONDON, April 10.
The Henlow aerodrome, in Bedfordshire, was this morning the scene of the worst air force disaster since the war. A giant Vickers-Vimy machine was being piloted by Flying-Officer Charles Victor Lacey, who had only returned from leave to-day. He was carrying three mechanics, and was engaged in parachute practice. As he was landing, an Avro machine, piloted by Flying-Officer William Scott, took off.
The two machines collided at an altitude of a few hundred feet, and both plunged to the ground, and caught fire. The flames shot 200 feet into the air, and the five occupants of the two planes died in this terrible blaze. The fire brigade gained control of the flames after 30 minutes' work, and then only a mass of twisted metal remained. The bodies were not recognisable."
Sources:
1. http://www.rcawsey.co.uk/Acc1929.htm
2. http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?17306-RAF-fatalities-1926
3. http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Bedfordshire/HenlowStAndrewChurchRAF.html
4. http://www.mackz.net/cm_samplearticles.htm
5. The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA) Monday 12 Apr 1926 Page 9: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/46502652
6. https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/William_Scott_(Flying_Officer)
7. https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/The_Engineer_1926/04/16
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 30-May-2018 20:03 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 30-May-2018 20:05 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
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