But they were dismissed as having occurred before the aircraft had departed. Firefighters from both Basingstoke and Alton were called to the scene and crews from South Coast Ambulance Service (SCAS) and the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance also attended. It later signed a long lease on the airfield from the Ministry of Defence. Pausing briefly yesterday, to see a Boeing 727 depart from our friends at 2Excel. All Rights Reserved. Required fields are marked *. The crack in the heat exchange unit may have also played a role. British glider pilot dies in 150mph cliff crash while celebrating 60th The pair took off heading west on runwway 27 at 11:30 local time. Still, it seems odd for the pilot to have continued the flight in the first place. 'We don't know exactly what happened but it would seem he was flying too slow and lost lift on a wing and stalled and he went into a spin and spiralled down into the hill. A Gannett Company. That last sighting was accompanied by a change in the engine note as it disappeared into the distance, a change that the witness associated with a burst of power. The accident site was 15 nautical miles south of the aerodrome and at an elevation of 475 feet above mean sea level with young beech and ash trees of 45-50 feet. Sign up here to receive my weekly post in your inbox. Of course, places like London Heathrow, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Frankfurt am Main, Amsterdam Schiphol, Madrid Barajas, John F Kennedy NY, etc, are all large airports. One man was in a garden two miles west of Lasham when he saw a glider approximately one . 29 0 obj <> endobj It was in a heavily wooded area about four miles south of Petersfield and just one mile south of the Buriton railway tunnel. He was devoted to his poodle cross, Dougle. H\j0~ In mid-1943, the airfield was transferred to RAF Fighter Command. The police had the task of filtering through these sightings and following up on those that seemed signicant. The Society manager officially reported the flight as overdue. Description Airfield owned by Lasham Gliding Society, located 6 nm south-east of Basingstoke, United Kingdom. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Registration cancelled as "marks withdrawn from use 2/1/63". Jordan Bridge - Deputy Chief Flying Instructor - LASHAM GLIDING SOCIETY hbbd``b`: $KAC@|S@b Xk6`1@J$k4PL Lasham Gliding Society (LGS) was established in 1958 to unify operations of the gliding clubs that had been operating since 1951. Jordan Bridge on LinkedIn: A busy day of glider launching at Lasham At the last minute, he saw the cables in his path and pitched up steeply while increasing the engine power. A spokesperson for SCAS added: "We were called at 15:58 to a glider that had come down in Lasham. PDF BGA accident/incident summaries - Pilot & Club Info [16], The airfield occasionally provides storage for redundant aircraft. Learn how your comment data is processed. Soon, he literally no longer knew which way was up. The fuel selector was set to the starboard tank, which had still held fuel when it ruptured on impact. The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by: Aircraft was being launched behind a tug aircraft when the tug experienced engine problems and released the glider. Crash report calls for glider review. The official was not surprised by the news; the Society had a Super Cub out on loan for a week, which was returned around lunchtime that day. [6] The airfield is in constant use throughout the year and regularly hosts national and regional gliding championships. On 14 April 1944, at the request of resistance workers, six Mosquitos of 613 Squadron led by Wing Commander Robert Bateson bombed the Central Records Registry of the Gestapo in The Hague from a height of 50ft (15m). Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. The pilot usually phoned from home to get the weather forecast before leaving for the aerodrome, but it is not clear if he did that day or if he saw the forecast on the notice board. (Lawrence doesnt even have a tower; airport may be a hangover from when Northeast Airlines flew DC-3s to New York City, over 60 years ago. Usually it supports commercial flight operations, It need not have a control zone, but anything less starts getting in the realm of aerodrome. As it disappeared into the distance, it sounded as if the engine had changed notes, as if the engine power had been increased. The training fleet consists of the following types: The club uses three Skylaunch winches, normally delivering launch heights of 1500ft and over 2000ft in strong winds. 84 Group Disbandment Centre (1945-?? On the 28th of August in 1971, G-AYPN departed Lasham Gliding Society and disappeared. 0 Just across the railroad tracks from my grandparents business the 2 lane highway had a 1/2 mile straight stretch with no power lines crossing it. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The aircraft dived into a dense wood in a steep nose-down and port wing down attitude. He was not rated for night flying or for instrument flight. 'Just the day before he Peter was killed he took Ingrid up in a two seater glider and they had a marvellous flight. This information is added by users of ASN. Someone mentioned that the pilot might have flown to Scotland.They waited until dusk, hoping the Super Cub would appear and it would all be a big laugh. Over-flying aircraft are requested to not fly below 3,618ft (1,103m) QNH. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. Firefighters from Basingstoke and Alton station were called to the airfield of local flying club in Alton at 15:59 on Monday 20th September 2021. As the wreckage was not found for two months, the postmortem analysis gave very little information. Each day we'll be sending you a selection of our top stories from across our county, as well as breaking news so you can be the first to know. While the weather on the day of the accident may have been changeable, it was still suitable for flying, the report says. Although, who am I to write that? He walked to the woods to have a look around. hb``d``*``a`0 |@1V p_LLDJ D -`y:(q?JL https://www.hampshirelive.news/news/hampshire-news/person-taken-hospital-after-alton-5957566, https://www.hantsfire.gov.uk/incident/firefighters-called-to-glider-crash-in-alton/, https://www.radarbox.com/data/registration/G-DIIO, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lasham_Airfield#Lasham_Gliding_Society, Updated [Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category]. cgPMi:waY&muy&d;i Ox/~;% There was no trail of damage on the tree tops which might have attracted the attention of the aerial searchers. The report went to the the Basingstoke Police, the Department of Trade and Industry, London Air Traffic Control Centre and the Royal Air Force Rescue Co-ordination. The material he collected for this report formed the basis of his novel Lord of the Levels. She phoned again on Monday morning and explained that her brother had now been missing for two nights and she was worried. Farnham The lack of procedures for private flights from Lasham caused this final failure. Provincial police spokesperson Sgt Yang Ngckana confirmed one person died who was the pilot flying solo and said that an inquest docket had been opened. Another riveting write-up, thank you, Sylvia! Thank you to Peter Michael Rhodes for his fantastic photograph of G-AYPN at Lasham, taken just a few months before the crash. I was just lucky. Only three weeks before, the same person had walked that same track and seen nothing. What is very likely is that the pilot got lost, but that can already gleaned from Sylvias blog here. A number of private pilots from Lasham and Blackbushe attempted their own aerial reconnaissance, exploring the South Downs and the New Forest in hopes of finding signs of a crash. One of the pilots, who escaped unhurt after ejecting with a parachute, came down in woodlands near Lasham airfield in Alton, off the A339. Head of Safety Fred Bebington of the Soaring Society of South Africa confirmed that a pilot had died whilst flying at Gariep Dam but was awaiting more information. 'We don't fully know what happened but something went very wrong. Copyright 2021 Lasham Gliding Society, Anonymous Lasham Airfield Accidental Damage Report, FEB 2022 Airspace in .cub format for Oudie and LX (right click to save). At that time, the clouds were about 600 feet above mean sea level which put them at the same height as the power cables across the valley. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. All of them went on to become British champions. Without knowing where the pilot was headed, there was little that they could do. Bonnet parade and singing highlights of Alton School Easter assembly . 73 0 obj <>stream The Lasham Gliding Society manager phoned Basingstoke police and the duty officer at the Department of Trade and Industry to ask if there had been any reports of a forced landing or crash. In the front seat was a 25-year-old private pilot with 94 hours flight time, of which 31 had been on Super Cubs, towing gliders for the Society. However, as most of the flights at Lasham Gliding Society were short, local area flights for towing, they did not have such systems in place and did not keep a booking-out book. That evening, around 20:30 local time, the pilots sister phoned the club to ask about his whereabouts. That Saturday morning, the daily weather forecast was up on the notice board, warning of strong winds and low clouds with a base of 700 feet. They contacted the Coastguard and other ships asking for any sightings of the aircraft. This site is part of Newsquest's audited local newspaper network. The reason why the pilot decided to leave the traffic pattern of the aerodrome will probably never be known. These have now been removed, as have most of the buildings dating from World War II. Mr Forsyth has been a member of the Lasham Gliding Society since March of 1992. During the subsequent landing, the glider touched down hard and a ground loop incident occurred. The aircraft tilted left, as if hit by a gust of wind. Autumn came and the leaves began to fall. endstream endobj 34 0 obj <>stream On the 31st of October, two months after the flight had disappeared, a member of the public walking along a track through the forest saw the wreckage about 50 yards away. Jamie Pyatt In Cape Town For Mailonline A FATAL mid-air crash between two gliders near Lasham, south of Basingstoke, has revealed the need for such aircraft to be more visible to one another, an official accident report claims. That evening, they were notified that the aircraft was officially overdue. The following morning, a club member reported to one of the Society officials that the Super Cub was not in the hanger. Eye witnesses said he got into difficulties shortly after take-off and it is thought the glider stalled due to lack of speed and it went into a deadly spin heading earthwards. For a moment, it seemed that the pilot was flying a left-hand circuit to land. 50 views 3 weeks. Mist and fog covered the tops of the South Downs. 'He did a lot of voluntary work as well for his club at Lasham and would be in amongst the top 100 glider pilots in the UK. On Monday (September 20) a glider crashed with two people on board at Lasham Airfield near Alton. Privacy Statement | Terms of Use The final report by the Accidents Investigation Branch in the Department of Trade and Industry concluded that there was nothing wrong with the aircraft. In 1999, Lasham Gliding Society completed the purchase from the Ministry of Defence of the freehold to the airfield, making the final payment in 2001. The crash happened at approximately 7-30 pm and a call was made to the emergency services at 7-36 pm. I thought, if you can operate a Crop Duster off the highway, why not a private plane? Mr Purnell was declared dead at the scene as a result of multiple injuries and an inquest jury in September last year returned a verdict of accidental death. GU9 7HL Tel: 01252 725224 [emailprotected], I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from Farnham Herald. He was also a qualified glider pilot. Figure 1 shows the track of the glider beginning on the ground at Lasham at 0953 hrs (airborne at 1020 hrs) to about 550 ft above the accident site at 1043:20 hrs, 4.5km . ), This page was last edited on 18 April 2023, at 07:44. When the aircraft were not needed for towing, the pilots were encouraged to use them for private flights. The squadrons of 2 Group used the de Havilland Mosquito and North American B-25 Mitchell. I'm interested, but, "The four crew members were held in custody for two weeks as they were deemed a flight risk." Im amazed that flight operations in England were so informal, even half a century ago; the US image of England tends to involve a lot of order, rather than daredevil flyers (at least outside the RAF). Somewhat relieved, the Society officials considered that perhaps the pilot had simply borrowed the aircraft for the weekend without asking permission. Unsubscribe at any time. The airfield's boundaries were reduced but it still occupies over 500 acres (200 ha). 'The accident is currently under investigation by the South African Civil Aviation Authority and the provincial police. British pilot is killed as his glider slams into a rocky hillside at 150mph after 'deadly spin' during solo flight on his 60th birthday in South Africa Peter Reading, from Godalming Surrey was. Very lucky. 'Flying here at Gariep Dam we can experience very strong winds and turbulence as there is a lot of energy out there over the slopes because of the heat this time of year. A subsequent aerial search showed that the wreckage could not be seen from the sky and would not be visible until most of the leaves had fallen. In their report, which was released on Thursday, investigators from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch of the Department of Transport say: "It appeared that neither pilot saw the other glider in time to initiate any effective avoidance manoeuvre.". The pilot mentioned at the airfield that they were thinking about visiting Sandown aerodrome on the Isle of Wight. "PrI@f`X,mPG U 'They are thinking about flying out there. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information. Police were also informed. Mrs Draper, an occupational therapist from Marlborough, Wiltshire, who specialised in helping patients with catastrophic injuries, had been piloting gliders for nearly 20 years and competed internationally as a hang glider pilot, winning the first British Women's Championships. With no visibility, no instrument training and only minimal instruments, the pilot quickly lost situational awareness. From 1951, the main activity at Lasham airfield became recreational gliding. The investigators say both pilots were entitled to be where they were in the air and would have been relying on the principle of "see-and-avoid". The aircraft did not have IFR instruments and there was no radio equipment. These are rough descriptions as I have come to regards them, these are not definitions. A man has died after the glider he was piloting crashed into a field in West Sussex. If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can. The Super Cub had between 15-20 gallons of fuel on board. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. [10] Founded in 1930, the club was the second club to become affiliated to the British Gliding Association. It was clear from the start that the clouds were low enough to make it difficult for a visual flight. There was another witness who was standing on high ground over the railway tunnel and saw the Super Cub flying low over the trees. This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's A system that was good enough for short local area flights with gliders made it impossible to determine that the pilot and plane were overdue, in the first instance and then left search and rescue teams with no way to organise useful ground or aerial searches. %%EOF She leaves behind her husband, David Draper, 57. I dont think Ive ever heard/seen airdrome/aerodrome used outside of historical descriptions although this may be biased by my being relatively urban. Lasham Gliding Society - YouTube Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information. One person on the northern outskirts of Petersfield reported seeing the Super Cub low beneath the clouds, about 200-300 feet above the ground, flying south. Derek Piggott was Chief Flying Instructor at Lasham during much of the period from 1953 to 1989. Th airfield was built on farming land in 1942 as a Royal Air Force Station during the Second World War. Lasham Aerodrome in Hampshire, England, was built in 1942 and used as a base for the RAF Fighter Command. The airfield - Imperial College Gliding Club We refer to an airport as a piece of real estate with one or more paved runways, usually taxiways, some infrastructure like a terminal building or a restaurant, generally open to the public and some form of control tower. 'Gliding out here over the Karoo in Africa is very different to gliding in the UK as our weather is very strong due to the heat and the thermals and you have to be very wary. Dan-Air ceased trading in 1992, and after a period of operation by FLS Aerospace, the facility was let by the society to aircraft maintenance company ATC Lasham Ltd. On 2 October 2015, the holding company of ATC Lasham went into administration and closed its Southend branch with immediate effect. Lasham Gliding Society (LGS) was established in 1958 to unify operations of the gliding clubs that had been operating since 1951. All of the staff had already left for the day and the person who answered the phone wasnt able to help. Firefighters from Basingstoke and - Hampshire Incidents | Facebook Very interesting, well researched, thank you for another great blog post Cynthia. 'He has a passion for flying and was always telling us all about the places he'd flown to.'. The difference between an aerodrome and an airport is not really very clearly defined. It's one of those truly devastating things and we are all terrible sorry.'. 'Unsafe' Farnborough airspace plan upheld by High Court The report stated that the Super Cub had departed Lasham at 14:00 on Saturday with enough fuel for about three and a half hours flight, destination unknown. However, when Piper L-18C aircraft moved from military service to the civil register, they once again were assigned the PA-19 designation. Imperial College Gliding Club is the oldest, and one of the largest, university gliding clubs in the United Kingdom. Lasham Gliding Society Registered address: Lasham Airfield, The Avenue, Alton, Hants, GU34 5SS, Registered in England. Unfortunately, theres no way to know if the heating was on that Saturday, throwing fumes into the cockpit. In early 1951, he ordered Major Deane-Drummond to restart the club at Lasham. Pilots of powered aircraft visiting the airfield require prior permission and a briefing on its hazards: in particular dense concentrations of thermalling gliders (up to 100 gliders can be in the vicinity at once), winch cables up to 3,000ft (910m) above the ground, and occasional movements of large jet airliners. People phoned in from all over the country to see that theyd seen the plane. As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles. 'Peter was married with two children and was an airline captain with Flybe. Later in 1943, it became a base for the bombers of No. The South African Civil Aviation Authority confirmed that a fatal glider accident occurred near Gariep Dam on Monday morning and that it is being investigated. Only moments earlier, the aircraft had seen to be bouncing in the turblence. Also in the news. "Crews supported South Central Ambulance Service with the extrication of one male from the glider he is now in their care. Police confirmed work was already underway involving the Air Accident Investigation Branch, based at Farnborough, to find out more details. You can also subscribe without commenting. The latest Air Accident Incident Report details a commercial airliner landing beside fully extended glider cables at a Hampshire airfield. Moderately cool summer and comparatively warm winter with a temperature range of only 14C. Nearest towns include Basingstoke, Winchester, Guildford and there are great road and rails links close by. He has flown gliders all over the world and competes in the British Nationals supported by wife of 31 years Ingrid who works as an exam invigilator in Surrey. This caused severe damage to the tail and left wing. OTOH much smaller nearby operations at Lawrence and Norwood call themselves airports. ), Your email address will not be published. The fire broke out early yesterday morning and has caused serious damage to the clubhouse. [12] It operates under the auspices of Lasham Gliding Society who provide its launching facilities and many of its instructors.The club maintains an archive website where details of the club's history since 1930 are kept. One clearing pass to see there were no cars on the road, taxi up into the parking lot of the Baptist Church and it was only a 2 block walk to grandmothers house. This specific Super Cub had originally been purchased by the French Light Air Force. Sold to Lasham Gliding Society in September 1959. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. An experienced commercial pilot, and rated as one of Britain's top 100 glider pilots, having flown gliders all . Accident Schempp-Hirth Discus , 01 Sep 2022 I'm excited and thanks for the discount. www.lashamgliding.com / 01256384900 See more. , updated Highly experienced Peter is a member of the Lasham Gliding Society in Alton, Hants, where he instructs and has also been their vice chairman and media spokesman. endstream endobj 33 0 obj <>stream Indeed, initially the pilot appeared to turn back, lining up to land back at Lasham after accidentally flying into the low cloud. . Chief Executive Officer of the British Gliding Association Peter Stratten said:' Peter was a very experienced pilot and was both a professional commercial pilot and a recreational glider pilot. The wreckage of the glider was examined by experts before being taken away for further investigation into why it crashed. Initial RAF operations (from November that year) were by 38 Wing, Army Co-operation Command. 'He was given a Life Membership in 2017 in recognition of his work for Lasham. He was also a qualified glider pilot. There were no signs of a crash. Newsquest Media Group Ltd, 1st Floor, Chartist Tower, Upper Dock Street, Newport, Wales, NP20 1DW Registered in England & Wales | 01676637 |. 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The Basingstoke Police were the first to know that there was a missing aircraft, as the Lasham Gliding Society manager had phoned to ask about any reports of a forced landing or crash. 48 views 3 weeks ago Lasham Gliding Daily Flying Briefing on Tuesday the 17th of January 2023. No one noticed it was missing: 1971 Super Cub crash