ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 66087
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| Date: | Friday 19 May 1961 |
| Time: | day |
| Type: |  SCAN 30 (Grumman G-44A Widgeon) |
| Owner/operator: | Bruce Campbell Ltd |
| Registration: | G-ARIX |
| MSN: | SCAN30/19 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 5 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Southampton Water, off Calshot Light, Hampshire -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Eastleigh Airport, Southampton, Hampshire (EGHI) |
| Southampton Water, off Calshot Light, Hampshire | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
The SCAN 30 was a licence built version of the US Grumman Widgeon amphibian. Just one, G-ARIX, graced the British civil register. On 13 February 1961 it was purchased by Hamble based boatbuilders, Bruce Campbell Ltd., to which it was registered (C of R R7120/1) on that date, and delivered on 18 May 1961.
The following day Viv Bellamy, of Hampshire Aeroplane Club fame, took G-ARIX up to demonstrate it to his four passengers. However the demonstration they got was not, I suspect, that which they anticipated. All the reports say that G-ARIX crashed on landing off Calshot - but do not say how that occurred or whether it was intentional or an emergency - and broke up. All five on board suffered minor injuries but, presumably, were rescued from the water and taken to dry land. G-ARIX overturned (it is not said whether it did so in the course of the crash landing or as a result of the aeroplane breaking up) and partly submerged. It seems that it was towed into the Hamble River and beached at Hamble (probably on the hard of the owner's factory there) but presumably the damage was sufficiently severe as to put it beyond economical repair.
A contemporary newspaper report gives further details of the incident (Daily Herald - Saturday 20 May 1961):
"CAMPBELL IN RESCUE DRAMA
SPEED ace Donald Campbell helped to rescue four men and a woman who crashed into the sea in a flying-boat last night. He was aboard a motor-yacht cruising near Calshot Light, Southampton, when the plane turned over as it tried to land on its sea-floats. The yacht raced to the scene and took the plane's pilot and passengers aboard. Both the rescue boat and the plane are owned by Mr. Bruce Campbell, a Hamble boatbuilder. He was aboard the Christina with Donald Campbell—no relation—when the plane crashed".
Registration G-ARIX cancelled 29 June 1961 as "P.W.F.U." ("Permanently Withdrawn From Use")
"Thumbnail" history of G-ARIX:
Built as F-BGTD by SCAN: built 1949
SCAN-30G (re-engined with DH Gipsy Queen 2s at Buc, first flown as such 14.5.53)
Aero Club de France, Buc: CofA issued 23.6.53
Charlotte Coulon, Pantin 23.3.55: As F-BGTD noted at London-Croydon 30.6.55
Soc. Technicoptere, Paris-Toussus le Noble 11.7.55; noted at London-Croydon 11.8.55, and 14.8.55 in "executive" paint scheme
Re-registered in Kenya VP-KNV Lake Air Charters Ltd, Mwanza, Tanganyika 1956: as such visited Southend 22.5.56. noted Croydon 17.5.56. Arrived ex-London-Croydon 24.11.57, in colours of Lake Air Charters, Tanganyika; noted at Croydon 28.11.57; logged there in 1958 also. Reported that VP-KNV was parked unflown at Croydon in 1959 flying out to Biggin Hill just before Croydon closed on 30.9.59
Re-registered EI-ALE Irish Helicopters Ltd 30.9.59; noted Biggin Hill 10.10.59, 8.60, 17.9.60
Re-registered G-ARIX Bruce Campbell Ltd, Southampton 13.2.61 (British CofA issued at Biggin Hill 11.5.61, delivered to Southampton 18.5.61); subsequent history as per the above
Sources:
1. Daily Herald - Saturday 20 May 1961
2. https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-ARIX.pdf
3. G-ARIX on 19/5/61 (the day it crashed): https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1014544/
4. https://www.pprune.org/archive/index.php/t-76766.html
5. http://theflyingboatforum.forumlaunch.net/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=94&start=30
6. https://www.goodall.com.au/grumman-amphibians/grumman-scan30.pdf
7. https://www.airliners.net/photo/Untitled/SCAN-30-G-44A-Widgeon/2101540/L
8. G-ARIX at Biggin Hill 1960: https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1608856
9. https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-scan-30-calshot
10. http://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=15659.0
11. https://john2031.com/grumman/widgeon/db_2-5-11.pdf
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 01-Jul-2009 23:29 | VHKDK | Added |
| 28-Jul-2012 18:06 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 09-Oct-2014 18:55 | TB | Updated [Aircraft type, Cn, Total occupants, Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 09-Oct-2014 19:35 | TB | Updated [Cn, Source, Narrative] |
| 10-Mar-2020 19:42 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Total occupants, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 10-Mar-2020 19:44 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
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