Date:	Thursday 9 April 1970
Time:	10:05
Type:	de Havilland DH.104 Dove 8
Owner/operator:	Dowty Group Services Ltd
Registration:	G-AVHV
MSN:	04542
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Other fatalities:	1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Category:	Accident
Location:	Redhurst Drive, Fordhouses, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Ferry/positioning
Departure airport:	Luton Airport (LTN/EGGP)
Destination airport:	Pendeford Airfield, Wolverhampton
Investigating agency:	AIB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
De Havilland DH.104 Dove 8 G-AVHV: Written off (destroyed) 9 April 1970 - The crew was completing a positioning flight from Luton to Wolverhampton to carry two members of the Dowty Group (owners of the aircraft) who wanted to fly to France. A first attempt to land was abandoned due to poor weather conditions and the crew climbed to 2,500 feet before initiating a second attempt to land that was also abandoned. During the third attempt, the crew failed to realize his altitude was insufficient when the aircraft struck the roof of a house at Redhurst Drive, Fordhouses, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire., and crashed in flames 600 yards short of runway 25 threshold at Pendeford Airfield. The aircraft was destroyed as well as the house and both crew members were killed plus one people in the house. Two other person on the ground were injured.

Probable cause: The accident resulted from a stall at a height from which recovery was not possible. The precise reason for this has not been established.

Casualties:
Captain J E MIller & First Officer R J Davall on the aircraft and an occupant Mrs N Hilton of the house were killed.

According to "Hansard" the official record of debates in the UK Parliament, which discussed this incident:

"AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT, WOLVERHAMPTON
HC Deb 10 April 1970 vol 799 cc889-90889

Mrs. Renée Short (by Private Notice) asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will make a statement on the tragic air crash yesterday in Wolverhampton, which involved the deaths of three persons.

The Minister of State, Board of Trade (Mr. Goronwy Roberts) A De Havilland Dove, G-AVHV, crashed into a house in the Wobaston estate, Wolverhampton, at 10.05 B.S.T. yesterday and burst into flames. The aircraft had been making a flight from Luton to Wolverhampton. At present, I have no evidence that, prior to the crash, this flight was in any way unusual. Both occupants of the aircraft and one occupant of the house were killed. Two other people in the house escaped with minor injuries.

The Board of Trade's Chief Inspector of Accidents decided to carry out a formal investigation. A team of accident investigators left immediately for Wolverhampton and are now at work. A report will be published in due course.

I am sure that the House will wish to join with me in expressing sympathy with the relatives and friends of all those who died, and also with the injured.

Mrs. Short I join with my right hon. Friend in offering sympathy to the family of my constituent who lost her life, and I am glad that the two members of her family who were there were mercifully spared. I should also like to offer my sympathy to the families of the two members of the crew who died in the accident."

Registration G-AVHV cancelled by the CAA on 28 September 1971 as "destroyed"

1. AAIB Final Report: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5423013a40f0b61346000b75/10-1971_G-AVHV.pdf
2. CAA: https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-AVHV.pdf
3. Parliamentary Debate on the Accident: https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1970/apr/10/aircraft-accident-wolverhampton
4. https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-de-havilland-dh104-dove-8-wolverhampton-3-killed
5. https://www.dowtyheritage.org.uk/content/dowty-group/dowty-group-services/dowty-wolverhampton-air-crash
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Havilland_Dove#Accidents_and_incidents
7. https://www.baaa-acro.com/sites/default/files/2018-07/G-AVHV.pdf
8. https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/registration/G-AVHV

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
13-Jan-2008 19:59	W.Fischdick	Added
16-Jan-2008 10:59	harro	Updated
15-Jun-2009 12:21	VHKDK	Updated
16-Mar-2010 08:03	TB	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Narrative, ]
16-Apr-2012 03:04	TB	Updated [Time, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, ]
16-Apr-2012 03:07	TB	Updated [Source, ]
14-Jul-2012 15:05	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Location, Departure airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative, ]
04-Dec-2012 05:59	TB	Updated [Operator, Location, Source, Embed code, Narrative, ]
08-Jun-2013 09:48	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Location, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative, ]
24-Jun-2013 18:21	TB	Updated [Time, Location, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative, ]
17-Oct-2015 18:52	Dr.John Smith	Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative, ]
17-Oct-2015 18:58	Dr.John Smith	Updated [Nature, Narrative, ]
28-Apr-2017 07:31	TB	Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Source, Narrative, ]
30-Sep-2020 22:08	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator, Location, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Accident report, ]
30-Sep-2020 22:09	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative, Accident report, ]
18-Dec-2021 14:44	Anon.	Updated [Location, Narrative, ]
18-Dec-2021 14:45	harro	Updated [Category, ]