ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 25143
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| Date: | Thursday 2 September 1926 |
| Time: | day |
| Type: |  Avro 504K |
| Owner/operator: | Southern Counties Aviation Co t/a Stallard Airways |
| Registration: | G-EASG |
| MSN: | H6543 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Phoenice Farm, Great Bookham, Polesden Lacey, near Dorking, Surrey -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Bognor Regis, West Sussex |
| Crystal Palace, London | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Ex-RAF H6543 (former RAF serial used by the CAA in lieu of an official constructors number). First registered (C of R 1155) as G-EASG on 1.7.19 to Golden Eagle Aviation Co Ltd. Wrecked in a gale in August 1919, but rebuilt. Registered 6.5.25 to Southern Counties Aviation Co Ltd t/a Stallard Airways, with a nominated address of "Brooklands Aerodrome, Byfleet, Surrey". Written off 2.9.26 when crashed at Phoenice Farm, Greet Bookham, Polesden Lacey, near Dorking, Surrey, killing all three persons on board:
Ronald Herbert Leavey (pilot, aged 27) killed
Arnold Keene (mechanic, aged 29) died 3.9.26 (next day) of injuries sustained
Mrs Marjorie Lily Stallard (passenger/owner, aged 28) killed
Per the following contemporary newspaper report:
"Fatal Air Crash at Dorking.
A REGRETTABLE flying accident occurred near Dorking on September 2, when an aeroplane, piloted by Capt. R. H. Leavey, who was accompanied by Mrs. Marjorie Lily Stallard and Mr. Arnold Keene, crashed whilst flying from Bognor to the Crystal Palace, where exhibition and "stunt" flights were to have been carried out. Weather conditions were very bad at the time, with low fog. and the machine was seen to be circling low down over Polesden Lacy, as if the pilot were looking for a place to land. It then nose-dived into the ground, and burst into flames.
The machine was almost completely destroyed and only the mechanic Keene was removed from the wreckage alive, and he was immediately taken to the Leatherhead Cottage Hospital, where he died as a result of his injuries that evening. The other two occupants could not be removed until after the fierce flames had died down, when they were found to be terribly injured and burned; they were both dead.
The Air Ministry examination of the machine disclosed the fact that no part of the structure failed in the air and that no defect had developed in the controls before the machine crashed to the ground."
The machine burst into flames on hitting the ground when the fuel tank split. The managing director of the company, Mr G V Peck, believed the aircraft had probably encountered fog over the North Downs, visibility being down to about 150 feet at that time, and was off its expected course. No mechanical faults were found later after inspection of the wreckage. An inquest was held at Epsom, Surrey, which returned a verdict of "accidental death" on all three persons on board."
Registration G-EASG cancelled by the CAA same day (2.9.26) due to "destruction or permanent withdrawal from use of aircraft"
Sources:
1. https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-EASG.pdf
2. http://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=2514.0;wap2
3. http://afleetingpeace.org/index.php/aeroplanes/15-aeroplanes/81-register-gb-g-ea
4. https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-avro-504k-great-bookham-3-killed
5. http://www.rcawsey.co.uk/Acc1929.htm
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 27-Sep-2008 01:00 | ASN archive | Added |
| 03-May-2012 04:44 | bugleboy | Updated [Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants] |
| 13-Dec-2013 20:48 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Cn, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 28-May-2018 17:26 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Cn, Source, Narrative] |
| 01-Jun-2018 22:28 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Operator, Source, Narrative] |
| 01-Jun-2018 22:31 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 01-Jun-2018 22:33 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Source] |
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