ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 193593
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| Date: | Monday 24 July 1837 |
| Time: | 19:35 |
| Type: |  Royal Nassau Gas Balloon |
| Owner/operator: | Charles Green & Edward Spencer |
| Registration: | Unregistered |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | None |
| Location: | Blackheath, Greenwich, London -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Parachuting |
| Departure airport: | Vauxhall, Southwark, London |
| Blackheath, Greenwich, London | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
On 24.7.1837, the Gas balloon "Royal Nassau", piloted by Charles Green & Edward Spencer was involved in a fatal accident: Parachute collapsed when one person was dropped from the balloon, at Blackheath, Greenwich, in South-east London. Robert Cocking (aged 61) killed
Robert Cocking (1776–24 July 1837) was the developer of an early unsuccessful parachute design and the first person to be killed in a parachuting accident:
"On 24 July 1837, Cocking's parachute was gaily decorated by the Gardens' artist E. W. Cocks. At 7:35 pm, Cocking ascended hanging below the balloon, which was piloted by Green and Spencer. Cocking was in a basket which hung below the parachute which in turn hung below the basket of the balloon. Cocking had hoped to reach 8,000 feet (2,440 m), but the weight of the balloon coupled with that of the parachute and the three men slowed the ascent; at 5,000 feet (1,500 m) and with the balloon nearly over Greenwich, Green informed Cocking that he would be unable to rise any higher if the attempt was to be made in daylight. Faced with this information, Cocking released the parachute.
A large crowd had gathered to witness the event, but it was immediately obvious that Cocking was in trouble. He had neglected to include the weight of the parachute itself in his calculations and as a result the descent was far too quick. Though rapid, the descent continued evenly for a few seconds, but then the entire apparatus turned inside out and plunged downwards with increasing speed. The parachute broke up before it hit the ground and at about 200 to 300 feet (60 to 90 m) off the ground the basket detached from the remains of the canopy. Cocking was killed instantly in the crash; his body was found in a field in Lee"
Sources:
1. http://www.rcawsey.co.uk/Acc1916.htm
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Cocking#Crash
3. Donald Glassman (1930). Tales of the Caterpillar Club: Jump!. Simon and Schuster. p. 243.
4. https://www.scienceandsociety.co.uk/results.asp?image=10410828&wwwflag=2&imagepos=4
5. https://blog.library.si.edu/blog/2013/07/24/leap-of-faith-robert-cockings-parachute-experiment-of-july-24-1837/
6. http://victoriancalendar.blogspot.co.uk/2011/06/july-24-1837-poor-mr-cocking.html
7. http://vauxhallhistory.org/robert-cocking/
8. https://www.flightglobal.com/FlightPDFArchive/1964/1964%20-%200144.PDF
Media:
Robert Cocking's ill-fated parachute design of 1837:
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 14-Feb-2017 19:23 | Dr.John Smith | Added |
| 14-Feb-2017 19:24 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Aircraft type, Total occupants] |
| 14-Feb-2017 19:25 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Aircraft type] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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