ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 227449
Last updated: 13 September 2020
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| Date: | 21-JUL-2019 |
| Time: | 14:04 LT |
| Type: |  de Havilland DH.82a Tiger Moth |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N54556 |
| C/n / msn: | 84766 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Pent Farm airstrip, off Pilgrims Way, Postling, near Hythe, Kent -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Pent Farm airstrip, Postling, near Hythe, Kent |
| Pent Farm airstrip, Postling, near Hythe, Kent | |
| Investigating agency: | AAIB |
The owner of the aircraft and his passenger, who was a professional pilot, were to carry out a flight to familiarise the passenger with the Tiger Moth. The owner occupied the front cockpit with the passenger in the rear cockpit, from which the aircraft is flown when solo. They completed a first sortie, which comprised general handling and circuits and was followed by a short break. They agreed to do some more circuits with the passenger flying the aircraft. After the first landing, the owner took control and performed a rolling takeoff and made an early right turn, estimated by the passenger to be at about 20-30 ft agl. The passenger noticed that the aircraft was becoming increasingly cross-controlled with full right rudder and left control stick, which resulted in the aircraft rolling into a steeply banked turn to the right and striking the surface of a crop field in a steep nose down attitude. The pilot, in the front cockpit, was fatally injured and the passenger was seriously injured but able to release himself from the wreckage and drag himself clear.
The accident occurred because the increasing amount of right rudder was not reduced and left roll control stick reached the limit of its travel causing the aircraft to enter a descending, steepening turn to the right, and possibly to enter an incipient spin, before striking the ground. The reason for the loss of control was not determined, but the possibility that the pilot became incapacitated could not be excluded.
BRIEF HISTORY OF THIS TIGER MOTH:
Note that the FAA registration document gives the c/no. as "T6392RO" (sic). If this Tiger Moth is the former RAF Serial T6392, then it actually has the c/no. 84766, built in 1941. T6392 started its life at 6 EFTS, RAF Sywell, Northamptonshire, where it remained until 1951 when it was reallocated to No. 2 Grading School at RAF Digby in Lincolnshire. After retirement in 1953 it was retired to 12 MU (Maintenance Unit), RAF Kirkbride in Scotland.
It was then sold off with dozens of other Tigers to A. J. Whittemore Ltd. at Croydon in November 1953 and registered G-ANJJ. on 12 December 1953 It was passed to Continental Air Services, also at Croydon who had the contract with the French government to supply hundreds of Tigers to the post-war French flying clubs. It went to France, registered F-BHIC (registered as such on 15 September 1955), initially to the Aero Club de la Lys et de l’Artois, Merville, and then (from 10 December 1959) to the AeroClub du Bearn, Pau-Idron. Its C of A was suspended in 1967, its registration was canceled in 1969 and it was then sold (along with 122 other Tigers) to Geert Frank and imported to the USA.
First registered 13 February 1986 in the USA as N639DH. Sold on and re-registered 4 October 2018 as N54556.
Sources:
1. https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/police-confirm-light-aircraft-crashed-3118239
2. https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/man-51-killed-light-aircraft-3119261
3. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-kent-49071592
4. https://www.kentonline.co.uk/hythe/news/probe-launched-into-fatal-plane-crash-208987/
5. FAA Registration (first): https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=639DH
6. FAA Registration (second): https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=54556
7. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/tiger-moth-crash-light-aircraft-plane-postling-hythe-kent-dead-a9015466.html
8. https://www.bramptonflightcentre.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/April-2016-Newsletter.pdf
9. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/jul/22/light-aircraft-crash-kent-man-dead-another-injured
10. http://newsitn.com/air-accidents-investigation-branch-sent-to-examine-scene-of-light-aircraft-crash-near-folkestone/
11. https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-ANJJ.pdf
12. As N639DH (but wearing RAF markings as T6392): https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1672055
Accident investigation:
 |
|
A DH-82A Tiger Moth (N54556) rolled into a steeply banked turn and struck the ground in a steep nose-down attitude near Hythe, Kent, 21 July 2019. The accident resulted in one fatality.https://t.co/MFGNa0Zl0Q pic.twitter.com/bakr80l0oD
— AAIB (@aaibgovuk) July 16, 2020
Images:
Photo: AAIB
Related books:
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 21-Jul-2019 18:15 | Michael Roots | Added |
| 21-Jul-2019 18:21 | Captain Adam | Updated [Aircraft type] |
| 22-Jul-2019 09:51 | gerard57 | Updated [Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Phase, Nature, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 22-Jul-2019 11:59 | gerard57 | Updated [Aircraft type, Source] |
| 22-Jul-2019 14:24 | harro | Updated [Aircraft type] |
| 22-Jul-2019 20:53 | Anon. | Updated [Registration, Source] |
| 23-Jul-2019 00:01 | RobertMB | Updated [Cn, Location, Source] |
| 24-Jul-2019 22:11 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Location, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 16-Jul-2020 16:14 | harro | Updated [Time, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Embed code, Narrative, Photo, Accident report, ] |
| 02-Aug-2020 20:34 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Embed code] |
| 13-Aug-2020 18:06 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
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