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Post by john1958 on Aug 15, 2012 18:54:23 GMT 1
I've just read the article in the current Airliner World regarding Cambrian, looks like they had a couple of accidents here in Liverpool.
One was a crash on approach, the other seems a bit of an odd one, an aircraft rolled and ended up with her nose through a gate window!!!!!!
Does anyone....... I'm sure Viscount might, have some more detailed reading on either of these please?
John
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Post by Deleted on Aug 15, 2012 20:42:01 GMT 1
Re the crash on approach: aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19650720-0&lang=enThe other incident was caused by a brake failure whilst taxying following maintenance. Apart from a few reputations, no real (unrepairable) damage was done. Viscount can doubtless add more, but they are the basic details. |
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Post by john1958 on Aug 15, 2012 21:19:01 GMT 1
Cheers Garstonboy
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Post by viscount on Aug 15, 2012 21:23:18 GMT 1
The two Cambrian incidents at Liverpool, one serious, one near comical, both occurred during the mid 60s.
The first, and serious one, involved G-AMOL Viscount 701 on 20th July 1965. Positioning from the Isle of Man in the mid-evening, on late finals for 26, it rolled the starboard through the vertical and crashed through the roof of the Thompson & Capper factory, trade name 'Mothaks' (making moth-balls). The crew of 2, plus 2 night workers in the factory died. The aircraft was totally destroyed. The factory was re-built, and later used by Ridgways Teas. After being empty for some time it was demolished a year or two back. The site is opposite the Fords dealership (formerly Whitney, Laing & Neil (spelling suspect) factory in the late 60s) on the Speke Hall Ave/Speke Boulevard junction.
The second incident, on 15th July 1966, involved slight damage to Viscount 701 G-AMOE, not too much damage to the terminal either but alot of embarrassment for those involved! Whilst being engine tested the brakes failed (one version) or taxied when the brakes failed (another version) by engineers the aircraft, touched the wing of an Aer Lingus Viscount, swung and finished up with the nose just through the doors of Gate 2 of the Terminal. There was an excellent colour photo in FoLA's '09/27' No.120 recently - perhaps the editor could post it here as it is worthy of a wider audience.
The Cambrian Article is also referred to with another thread "Airliner Magazine". As can be seen from my entry above, my recollection is that it was an Aer Lingus Viscount which was touched, not a Friendship - indeed Aer Lingus by 1967 no longer operated Friendships into Liverpool!
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Post by john1958 on Aug 15, 2012 21:42:51 GMT 1
Cheers Brian, if that photo could be posted that would be good.
Of course my problem is I'm looking at it with the current airport in my head, not the original one!!!!!
John
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Post by viscount on Aug 16, 2012 0:07:55 GMT 1
I think I've related this story on the forum when the topic of the Mothaks crash has come up before, but a quick search fails to find the entry.
Sometime in the late 80s/early 90s, I was contacted by the Airport Management of the time and asked what I knew of an aircraft that had gone through a factory roof as the new management of the factory (Twinings/Ridgways Teas) could not locate any repairs to the structure and wondered what had happened. Within a few hours (pre internet) I had delivered a photo-copy of a report into the AAIB findings and notes on the fact that I could remember watching them building a new two-story structure around the damaged structure, which was then demolished inside the new structure - presumably allowing some production to continue during the rebuilding.
The following day the Chief Chemist of Ridgways turned up on my door-step with a big bag of assorted teas, mugs, key rings etc. Indeed I've just been to the kitchen to check the mug for the correct spelling of Ridgways, as it is still in regular use! Probably the only time I've been materially rewarded for aviation research!
For younger readers, Mothaks the occupiers of the site at the time of the crash produced moth-balls. These were placed in household wardrobes and clothes drawers to deter clothes-moths from laying eggs and the lavae eating stored woollen clothing and carpets. If you wonder why we no longer use the product ask your Gran if she remembers the lingering, pervasive smell of Mothaks when she was growing up!
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Post by FoLA on Aug 16, 2012 14:54:23 GMT 1
nose just through the doors of Gate 2 of the Terminal. There was an excellent colour photo in FoLA's '09/27' No.120 recently - perhaps the editor could post it here as it is worthy of a wider audience. Indeed, both incidents have been covered in depth by 0927 in recent years - the photo to which Viscount refers is available to view at www.fola.org.uk/0927/120.pdf which is online as a taster of our newsletter/magazine. From 1st September, the start of our membership year, FoLA membership has been extended to include an 'electronic' subscription for just £6. This includes membership and four electronic issues of 0927 - viewable/downloadable from our website using a key sent out each quarter. Normal 'paper' memebership continues to be avaialble - see www.fola.org.uk for details. |
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Post by john1958 on Aug 16, 2012 16:57:53 GMT 1
She's only just in the gate!!!!! :-) I'm sure if FR cotton on to that they'll do it for an extra £10!!!!
John
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Post by springy on Aug 18, 2012 23:39:53 GMT 1
Hi all,
Just for the record...
The incident with 'MOE waltzing into the gate happened in 1966 not 1967. I was there, I noted it my diary, I have a newspaper cutting, and you can read about it in "Flypast" for August 1966.
Cheers,
Ken
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Post by Deleted on Aug 23, 2012 10:58:48 GMT 1
Viscount's information is completely correct - as usual! Unfortunately, I witnessed both incidents. In the case of 'OL, I had gone to meet the crew of the aircraft (they were Cardiff-based and planning to return the next day, so we were going for a few drinks), and I was standing near the bottom entrance to the old balcony when I saw a plume of smoke go up. The marshaller was waiting to direct it onto the apron, and I was talking to him. (No restrictions about walking onto the apron in those days!). A few moments later he got a call from ATC to say that it had crashed. The intial thought was that it had crashed inside the airport boundary (it was a very dull evening with low cloud and poor visibility, hence the GCA approach). The fire engines from Banks Road initially arrived via hangar 2, but by then the tower had become aware that it had crashed in Mothaks, and had passed the information to the marshaller, and we were able to tell them where the accident site was. The second incident is exactly as Viscount describes it. Our office overlooked the apron, and we saw 'OE taxying back from a hydraulic test and the engineer (the senior engineer for Cambrian at the time), touched the brakes before adjusting the steering. The rest was one of those scenes which aftwerwards seem like it happened in slow motion. It did indeed clip the Aer Lingus Viscount, which then put it on a direct course for the gate (which was not often used, thankfully). The met office was next door, and I remember they got quite a shock and evacuated the office for a while! Bad as they were, both incidents could have been much worse. The departure of 'OL had been delayed because they had filled the aircraft with cargo for the IOM because of an ongoing seaman's strike. The seats had been taken out (it had done a LPL-JER-LPL run earlier in the day) and the loading - and subsequent unloading in the IOM took longer than expected Had 'OL arrived back on time, the factory would have been full of people. In the case of 'OE, the gate was not in use at the time, otherwise that too would have been more serious. The whole thing happened in seconds and there was no warning. I distinctly remember hearing a loud crash and rendering of metal (the nose and the props and a set of British Eagle steps), and us running out onto the apron to see what had happened. Here are some more pictures from the Cambrian website: www.cambrianairways.org.uk/page_2361709.html LINK NOW DEAD (June 2023) |
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Post by springy on Aug 28, 2012 21:46:28 GMT 1
I have spoken to Garry at the Cambrian website, and he has amended the year to 1966 - it was just a simple mistake in the first place. Also Graham Ward of FoLA will print a correction in the next issue of 09/27 magazine. Hopefully this will set the record straight. Here's a cutting from the Liverpool Echo Saturday 16/7/66  Ken |
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freddielaker2
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I love that - New Member, Date registered Jun 12 2009 noob for 10 years?
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Post by freddielaker2 on Oct 1, 2012 10:18:24 GMT 1
I was down staying at the airport hotel this weekend - and I remembered this article, Its now a restaurant and that door is a fire escape - I thought about either a continental breakfast or eggs and bacon - and egg on face of the captain! BTW - its a great hotel, it was a birthday treat reliving the past - 45 years since I went there as a kid to watch aircraft, followed by a trial flight with Ravenair - the but the weather was against me, so I went talking to the guys who are rebuilding CF and looking after the J41, made the visit extra special for me. Thanks guys and when I win the lottery - you will be my first port of call with the funds.... True story!
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Post by dave1955 on Oct 22, 2012 16:12:24 GMT 1
Hi, I'm a new member and this is my first post  I remember the first accident really well, I was 10 years old back then and a fan of all things aircraft  . My dad had come home late from work that day and said that a plane had crashed into the Mothaks factory next to the airport. It also made the late news on the TV. I found out later that a close friend of the family, Michael Ginner, who worked for Thompson & Capper, had been inside the factory when the Viscount hit. Apparently one of the rescue crews had found him wandering around outside the building in a dazed and confused state. Mike was never able to recall what happened to him during the impact or how he'd managed to survive but he was told later that the burnt-out remains of the fork-lift truck that he'd been driving at the time had been found in amongst the wreckage! A lucky escape without doubt  Has anyone got any info on the exact cause of the accident please?  Here's a couple of photos scanned from my early sixties postcards of the ill-fated Vickers Viscount 701 G-AMOL at Ronaldsway Airport, IOM, in BEA and later Cambrian liveries.   |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 22, 2012 17:02:10 GMT 1
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Post by griff on Dec 19, 2012 20:57:24 GMT 1
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. My dad had come home late from work that day and said that a plane had crashed into the Mothaks factory next to the airport. It also made the late news on the TV. 
