Avro 685 York crashed in the Gambia in 1946
| Avro 685 York crashed in the Gambia in 1946 | |
|---|---|
 Symbol photo of an Avro 685 York |
|
| Accident summary | |
| place | |
| date | September 7, 1946 |
| Fatalities | 24 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Avro 685 York |
| operator | British South American Airways |
| Mark | G-AHEW |
| Departure airport | London |
| Stopover | Bathurst-Yundum Airport |
| Destination airport | Montevideo |
| Passengers | 20th |
| crew | 4th |
| Lists of aviation accidents | |
The accident involving an Avro 685 York in the Gambia in 1946 occurred on September 7, 1946 in the British colony of Gambia .
plane
The aircraft was the first Avro 685 York to be delivered to British South American Airways (BSAA) in July 1946 and was given the aircraft registration G-AHEW . All 12 York of the BSAA had names with the prefix Star , accordingly the first York was given the name Star Leader .
Passengers, crew and flight plan
The flight was planned from London to Buenos Aires via Lisbon-Portela , Bathurst-Yundum , Natal , Rio de Janeiro-Santos Dumont and Montevideo .
All 20 passengers and 4 crew members on board were killed in the accident.
the accident
The aircraft had arrived at Bathurst-Yundum Airport at 2.43 a.m., where a new crew took over. The weather was unremarkable, with visibility of 10 miles and a cloud base of 1,500 ft 3/10 stratocumulus. The wind was west-southwest at two knots.
At about 4:08 a.m. the York started again in the direction of Natal . Shortly after taking off from Bathurst-Yundum Airport (now Banjul International Airport ) at 4:10 a.m. , the plane crashed three kilometers south of the airport. One wing of the machine first grazed trees 40 to 50 feet high and then fell through more trees as the machine rolled to the left. The plane went up in flames.
The flight involved in the accident was the captain's first scheduled flight to York, and it was also the first take-off that he made in a York that had a take-off mass of over 31,000 kg.
causes
The flight captain lost control of the aircraft while climbing and the machine crashed. The cause could not be precisely clarified, incorrect handling of the control could not be ruled out.
memory
The event was the most serious aviation accident in the history of Gambian aviation (as of 2019).
All victims were buried in the European cemetery in Bathurst (now Banjul). The graves were rushed to Jeshwang Cemetery under the supervision of armed soldiers in 1996 when President Yahya Jammeh decided to build Arch 22 there. For a long time, until before 2019, the fate of the graves was unknown to families in Great Britain, New Zealand and overseas. Following a request from the daughter of one of the deceased, the UK High Commission managed to get in touch with the families of some of the people on board. By holding a ceremony, it was hoped to provide comfort on this sad anniversary.
On September 7, 2019, the British High Commission held a ceremony at Jeshwang Cemetery to commemorate those who lost their lives in the 1946 plane crash near Banjul. In a brief address, High Commissioner Sharon Wardle spoke about the impact of loss on families and the importance of preserving the memory of those whose final resting place was in Gambia. She praised the support of the National Center for Arts & Culture (NCAC) in compiling the events and explaining the circumstances for the relocation of the graves. The High Commission wanted to work with NCAC to erect a plaque in the National Museum to continue honoring all those who died. Those in attendance laid wreaths and flowers at the grave to commemorate all the victims, and words of condolences were expressed by Reverend James Cole and Imam Ebrima Njie.
On July 1, 2020, with the support of the NCAC, a memorial plaque for this event was placed on Arch 22, the location of the former European cemetery.
Individual evidence
- ^ "23 Killed in Crash Of Plane in Africa," Pittsburgh Press , September 7, 1946, p1
- ↑ a b c d e f Harro Ranter: ASN Aircraft accident Avro 685 York I G-AHEW Bathurst-Yundum Airport (BJL). In: aviation-safety.net. Retrieved September 16, 2019 .
- ^ BSAA York which crashed soon after take-off at night from Yundum airfield on September 7th, 1946 , accessed July 2011
- ↑ George Jenks: Yeoman York – Part 2 . In: Airplane Monthly January 1982, pp. 4-9
- ^ A b British High Commission remembers those who died in 1946 air crash near Banjul. In: thepoint.gm. September 11, 2019, accessed September 16, 2019 .
- ^ Unveiling of the 1946 Air crash memorial plaque at Arch 22 - The Point Newspaper. In: thepoint.gm. July 1, 2020, Retrieved July 1, 2020 (American English).