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Post by SEAN on Nov 23, 2009 11:27:37 GMT 12
Hi All Came across these, source unknown, so I will say RNZAF Official... Photo's appear to be NZ5901. I have seen that NZ5901 crashed twice. Once on 19 Apr 1954 in Mauripur Pakistan, when it was returned to the UK and repaired, and then again in Nov or Dec 1956 in the Cameron Highlands of Malaysia, but this time it was destroyed with the loss of life. The mystery to me is that if this is the first crash of NZ5901 it look well BER, in fact it looks totally stuffed.... Is this NZ5901? Could this be an RAF Freighter? The markings look like other photo's I have seen for this period on the Bristols.    |
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Post by skyhawkdon on Nov 23, 2009 11:53:56 GMT 12
Amazing photos! Says a lot about the strength of the wing!
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Post by htbrst on Nov 23, 2009 11:59:49 GMT 12
I think the RAF only ever had one single Bristol Frighter used by A&AEE so that rules them out
I agree that the "01" on the nose and fin seem to indicate 5901
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Post by beagle on Nov 23, 2009 12:11:40 GMT 12
alloc G-AINR Jan 27, 1947 for Bristol Aeroplane Co.Ltd.; alloc G-18-98 51 for Bristol Aeroplane Co.Ltd. (not used?); RNZAF boc as NZ5901 Dec 21, 1951 Whenuapai; reg G-AINR cancelled Apr 14, 1952; incident Apr 19, 1954 crashed Mauripur, Pakistan - repaired UK; returned to service Nov 7, 1955 Changi, Singapore (41 Sqn); crashed Dec 10, 1956 Cameron Highlands, Malaya. The aircraft mistakenly entered the wrong valley in poor visibility where it crashed and burned (position 0420N:10125E 28 miles SE Ipoh). Killed were S/L A.S. Tie (CO 41 Sqn), F/O W.A. Devescovi, and F/O D.E. Nelson, two Malayan Film Unit camera crew, and three 55 Cpy RASC dispatchers. Driver Thomas Lee, 55 Cpy RASC dispatcher walked out from the crash site.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 23, 2009 17:00:10 GMT 12
Interesting photos. Does anyone know what NZ5901 was actually doing in Pakistan when it crashed the first time? Was that part of the UK to NZ transit route then?
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Post by 30sqnatc on Nov 23, 2009 19:35:36 GMT 12
Was it really repaired or did the just reuse the wing, and tail and nose sections with the NZ number on?
Pretty amazing fix up.
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Post by angelsonefive on Nov 23, 2009 19:47:04 GMT 12
Interesting photos. Does anyone know what NZ5901 was actually doing in Pakistan when it crashed the first time? Was that part of the UK to NZ transit route then? According to NZ Serials NZ 5901 was on a flight from the UK to NZ when it crashed. |
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Post by shorty on Nov 23, 2009 21:48:45 GMT 12
It may have been the old trick whereby money is available for "repairs and maintenance" but there is no money in the defence vote for "New capital equipment" so you "repair" the aircraft by putting a new airframe around the manufacturers plate.-worked with the Iroquois'
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Post by justplanecrazy on Nov 25, 2009 6:23:46 GMT 12
Interestingly the Former NZ5912 when it crashed in the UK several years ago suffered similar damage.
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Post by baz62 on Nov 25, 2009 21:19:25 GMT 12
Also the one that crashed on landing in Canada when a Undercarriage leg strut failed ended the same way. (Also ex RNZAF)
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Post by tbf25o4 on Nov 26, 2009 10:07:31 GMT 12
I think it is indeed the misfortunate NZ5901 which crashed in pakistan when making a flight back to the UK to pick up spares for the other freighters.
It was dis-assembled and shipped back to Bristols for the rebuild.
RNZAF fokelore has it that after stepping from the wreckage the young freighter captain told the Pakistani base commander that he was sorry for "dropping in" in such a manner.
Paul
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Post by baz62 on Nov 26, 2009 14:34:54 GMT 12
So what actually caused the accident? Landing gone real wrong(eg:ground loop) or was it mechanical in nature?
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Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 2, 2009 7:45:34 GMT 12
I met the radio operator who was aboard during this crash yesterday. He is the one who took the photos, as he's the only one who had a camera and I noted these among others in his collection. His name is Syd Vincent. He told me that they were on their way back from the UK and had about five pilots aboard. The senior pilot who'd done all the landings up till now finally allowed a more junior pilot to land here. Unfortunately there was a major dust storm kicked up and the message between ATC and the pilot as to the angle of the runway, which they couldn't see, became confused. As they touched down the wheels collapsed.
Syd was also on the all-NCO team who was later sent back in another Freighter to pick up the bits and return them to Bristol Aircraft Company at Filton, UK. He said they made three trips, rescuing the engines one at a time and then lastly the tail assembly. The remainder of the aircraft was scrapped on site and the engines and tail were incorporated into a whole new airframe by Bristol, but it rolled out with the same serial. Also on the team to pick the bits up was Cpl Sandie Currie, later a Sqn Ldr of RNZAF Museum fame. Syd said that as all the others were Sgts and F/Sgts on the team they sewed an extra stripe to Sandie's uniform so he coul stay with them in the same mess, etc. ;D
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Post by timmo on Dec 4, 2009 9:07:43 GMT 12
Interesting- The small ditch would be the culprit for the undercarriage collapse and subsequent back-breaking I would say...but one thing that is confusing is where the airfield appears to be. I originally thought they had come through the perimeter fence and hit the ditch...
But looking closer the aircraft still appears to be sitting on the airfield (evident by the fence behind and the suitable terrain in the foreground).....so I'm guessing they possibly dropped one wheel into the ditch/wadi which collapsed and swung them around to the left? The lean of the aircraft to the right seems to indicate that that was where the forces were acting.
But that means the ditch is on the airfield/within the fence?
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Post by SEAN on Dec 4, 2009 11:44:57 GMT 12
I just did some more looking on the Web, and see that Mauripur was at the time RAF Manripur, a RAF staging base, so I guess NZ5901 was using it as that on it's way to the UK.
RAF Manripur, is now PAF Masroor, and on Google Earth seems to be a very large fighter base with what looks to be Mirages on the pan. I also see a transport base to the right of this base, and a civilian airport.
Had a quick look but could not see any dead Bristols lying around in any ditches.... not that I really expected too, but would'ent it be great if there was.....
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Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 4, 2009 20:28:11 GMT 12
As I said they were on their way back from the UK to NZ. Syd remembers it vividly because when they went up, he married his English fiance' there, and expected to get back to NZ and have her arrive on the boat. But he got in the crash and involved in the recovery and it was many weeks after she arrived that he actually got home to NZ.
Yes, when they landed on the wrong angle of the runway in the dust storm they hit the monsoon ditch, causing the wheel collapse. The monsoon drains were commonplace on Indian airfields of course, so nothing unusual with the drain being within the boundary. They used to fly despite the monsoon rains during the war, and often some spectacular accidents happened in the muddy sodden airfields in monsoon season. The drains help to reduce this risk.
Syd said he wasn't sure at first what the hell happened. He said the navigator, who's name was Dick but I forget the second name off hand, jumped through the hole that had opened up in the side of the fuselage to get out. The next day he tried to get back through it and found he couldn't fit through! Amazing what panic and adrenalin can do to the body. Syd's own escape rout after he'd shut down all the switches on the wireless gear to prevent fire was to go out the top through the hatch and he ran along the wing and jumped. He expected it to be a 15 foot or so fall as he couldn't see anything in the dust storm, and was prepared for a long heavy drop. He only fell a few feet and was surprised to realise the wing was virtually on the ground.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 4, 2009 21:36:19 GMT 12
I photographed a couple of things from Syd's album. As well as Syd's photos that have already been posted here by Sean, here are others that he took after the crash: This one shows the hole that the navigator scrambled through in his panic to escape, and which the next day he found he couldn't fit through in the cold light of day.  And this is an interior shot of the aircraft, which to me shows how amazing it is they all escaped unharmed as there were a fair few people aboard.  As Syd had gotten married in the UK before the crash, after the accident he rang his wife and told her but never even thought to tell his Mum. But the RNZAF didn't know yet that he was married (he actually sought permission to marry officially later, well after the wedding) and their paperwork still had Syd's mother as his next of kin. So she received the telegram, panicked, opened it and read as far as his name, and assumed he was dead. It was some time later after the shock had passed she read the rest!  And totally off topic here's a wonderful shot from Syd's album, six Sunderlands at Hobsonville.  |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 5, 2009 19:40:24 GMT 12
I must also add, I can't believe how amazing a co-incidence it was that I actually met someone from this crash. Syd was a British born Air Gunner in the WWII Fleet Air Arm, which was my interest in interviewing him. It was just s he flicked through his album showing me some WWII FAA photos that one of the Bristol caught my eye and the story of his postwar RNZAF service and the crash came out.
I'm amazed no-one has commented on the find of this info that soves the mystery...
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Post by timmo on Dec 7, 2009 11:38:05 GMT 12
This one shows the hole that the navigator scrambled through in his panic to escape, and which the next day he found he couldn't fit through in the cold light of day.
Although the fuselage would have settled a bit so the hole would have likely been smaller due to that.
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Post by Richard Wesley on Sept 30, 2010 16:07:34 GMT 12
Fantastic story, photos and interview. Well done Dave.
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