Downend air crash

The Downend air crash occurred on 6 November 1957 when a prototype Bristol Britannia aircraft crashed in woods near Overndale Road in Downend, a suburb of Bristol, England, on its landing approach at Filton airport during a test flight. All fifteen on board, four crew and 11 technicians, died in the crash.^[1]

Downend Air Crash

A Bristol Britannia similar to the accident aircraft
Accident
Date	6 November 1957 (1957-11-06)
Summary	Unknown cause
Site	Downend, near Bristol, UK 51.4897°N 2.5109°W / 51.4897; -2.5109
Aircraft type	Bristol Britannia Type 301
Operator	Bristol Aeroplane Company
Registration	G-ANCA
Passengers	0
Crew	15
Fatalities	15
Injuries	1 (On ground)
Survivors	0

Cause

The exact cause of the crash was never determined, but was suspected to be a malfunction of the autopilot, possibly due to faulty wiring. The company which manufactured the autopilot system issued a statement claiming it was not due to the autopilot system, but still altered the system in newer aircraft; the official report states unknown cause but "the autopilot system cannot be ruled out as the likely cause".

Another source cites the cause as "...an instrument failure which ultimately led to a loss of control."^[2]

Casualties

All 15 aboard died in the crash. Despite the aircraft coming down in a residential area, nobody on the ground was killed. One woman, a resident of Overndale Road, was taken to hospital after being hurt by the impact blast when one of the engines and part of the wing landed next to her house while she was hanging washing on the line in the garden.^[1] Another man, who at the time was tiling the roof of a nearby house, broke his arm after falling having been shocked by the aircraft's low flight path.

Memorials

Memorial plaque on Downend Folk House

A memorial service was held at Bristol Cathedral on 19 November 1957.

Commemorative events were held on 25th and 34th anniversaries, when the first memorial plaque listing the names of the dead was erected at Downend Folk House.^[3] Downend Local History Society holds its meetings in the building, which have one of its rooms named Britannia Room.^[4]

A memorial plaque at the crash site, now called Britannia Wood, was unveiled on 3 November 2007 by Beryl Statham, the pilot's widow.^[5]