| Date: | Thursday 4 February 1954 |
| Time: | 11:51 |
| Type: |  Bristol 175 Britannia 101 |
| Owner/operator: | UK Ministry of Supply |
| Registration: | G-ALRX |
| MSN: | 12874 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1953 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 13 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Severn Estuary, off Littleton -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Test |
| Departure airport: | Filton Airport (FZO/EGTG) |
| Filton Airport (FZO/EGTG) |
Some 7 minutes after takeoff the no. 3 engine oil temperature rose. The engine was shut down and relit when oil temperature had fallen. Following demonstration of a stall manoeuvre, the temperature again rose followed by a fire in the no. 3 engine nacelle. The fire could not be contained, so the no. 4 engine was stopped as a precautionary measure. On approach to Filton the no. 1 and 2 engines both quit. The were quickly restarted, but an emergency belly landing was made on the mud flats of the Severn Estuary.
PROBABLE CAUSE: "Mechanical failure of the propeller reduction gear."
Sources:
Evening Times, 4 Feb 1954
Location
Images:
photo (c) John Ireland; Severn Estuary; 04 February 1954
Media:
Recovery of Bristol Britannia G-ALRX from Severn Estuary, 4 February 1954. Test pilot Bill Pegg landed on the mud flats after fire in no. 3 engine, but the aircraft was soon submerged by the rising tide.
— Captain Brent ?? (@Birdseed501) February 5, 2024
A party from KLM was aboard the flight. They did not order the Britannia… pic.twitter.com/aivexOr3Pd
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 05-Feb-2024 09:53 | ASN | Updated [Embed code, ] |
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2025 Flight Safety Foundation