Date:	Wednesday 26 June 1935
Time:	14:30
Type:	de Havilland DH.89A Dragon Rapide
Owner/operator:	Anglo-American Oil Co
Registration:	G-ADCL
MSN:	6277
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Substantial
Location:	Redhill Aerodrome, South Nutfield, Redhill, Surrey (EGKR -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Executive
Departure airport:	Heston Aerodrome, Heston, Middlesex
Destination airport:	Redhill Aerodrome, South Nutfield, Redhill, Surrey (EGKR)
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Registered as G-ADCL [C of R 5602] 16.4.35 to Anglo-American Oil Co Ltd, Redhill (as a replacement for G-ACTT). C of A 4784 issued 4.5.35; delivered 8.5.35. Substantially damaged when overturned on landing Redhill Aerodrome, Surrey, 26.6.35, killing Brendan [Jimmy] Hanstock, General Manager of Anglo-American.

According to a description of the accident in a contemporary local newspaper ("Surrey Mirror" - Friday 28 June 1935):

"FATAL AIR CRASH AT SOUTH NUTFIELD
PILOT DIES IN HOSPITAL
At about half-past two on Wednesday afternoon a seven-seater plane of the De Haviland Rapide two-engine type crashed and was wrecked in a corner of the landing ground at Redhill Aerodrome, South Nutfield. The pilot, Captain Brendan Hanstock, described as an aviator of some experience and living at Lingfield, was badly injured. He was removed from the wreckage and taken to the East Surrey Hospital, Redhill, where he died shortly after admission. The plane was not connected with the aerodrome club but had been there for the past few weeks and went up for occasional flights. It was stated to have been owned by the Anglo-American Oil Company for whom deceased piloted it.

So far as can be ascertained there were no actual eye witnesses of the crash and it is difficult to say, without surmising, how the plane came to grief. It is thought that the aviator was in the act of landing when one wing of his machine touched the hedge bordering the landing ground, swinging the machine completely round. It then crashed. There were deeply furrowed marks in the ground close by, and these suggested that one of the wings might have been the first part of the machine to touch the ground.

Twice Widowed by Air Crash
As a consequence of the crash, Mrs. Mollie Hanstock, the pilot’s wife, was, for the second time, rendered a widow by an air disaster. Her first husband, Lt.-Col. G. L. Henderson, was the pilot of the air liner which met with disaster over Meopham Green, Kent, on July 21st, 1930, five other persons being killed. She married Mr. Hanstock in September of the following year.

Deceased, who was 32 years of age, had a remarkable escape from death in July, 1933, when an aeroplane which he was flying plunged into the sea near the shore at Seaview, Isle of Wight. He was rescued with the one other occupant of the plane by boatmen. When he crashed on Wednesday he was flying alone.

The Coroner has been informed of the circumstances and an inquest will be held to-day (Friday)".

Not badly damaged and rebuilt by De Havillands. Re-registered [C of R 6607] 19.12.35 to Airwork Ltd, Heston. Registration cancelled 1.8.36 as sold and C of A renewed 31.7.36. Bought by Juan de la Cierva and Tom Campbell-Black from Airwork Ltd and departed Heston 1.8.36, piloted by Lord Malcolm Douglas-Hamilton for the Spanish Nationalists at Burgos. Used by Spanish Nationalist Air Force as fighter/bomber with forward firing Vickers gun almost certainly as 40-2 "Captian Vela". Retained as personal aircraft of Mayor J-A Ansaldo. Later used as trainer with Spanish Air Force in 1939-40. To Iberia Airlines late 1940. Registered as EC-AAY 1941 to Trafico Aereo Espana; later (by 2.10.45) returned to Iberia; later based in Spanish Guinea. Withdrawn from use at Doula River Bata, Guinea, and registration cancelled 22.6.46

1. Surrey Mirror - Friday 28 June 1935 (report of accident - see above)
2. Surrey Mirror - Friday 5 July 1935 (Coroner's Inquest into the Death of the pilot & report of pilot's funeral)
3. https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-ADCL.pdf
4. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/gy/reg_G-A6.html
5. http://afleetingpeace.org/index.php/aeroplanes/15-aeroplanes/78-register-gb-g-ad
6. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/gy/reg_EC-1.html
7. https://www.ab-ix.co.uk/pdfs/dh89.pdf
8. https://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=20042.0
9. https://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/photo/001033454.html [G-ADCL as EC-AAY Over Fernando Po (now Malabo),1945-1946]
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redhill_Aerodrome#Early_history

Other occurrences involving this aircraft

28 December 1936

40-2

Spanish Nationalist Air Force

0

near San Sebastian, Bay of Biscay, Basque Region

sub

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
16-Jul-2012 13:09	TB	Added
07-Jan-2014 18:03	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Total occupants, Location, Nature, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
10-Jan-2017 16:14	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
24-Oct-2017 23:29	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source]