Blackbushe – Luqa – Khartoum

On August 25, 1952 at 03:00 AM, Blackbushe – Luqa – Khartoum experienced a crash involving Handley Page H.P.81 Hermes, operated by Airwork - UK, with the event recorded near Trapani Sicily.

The flight was categorized as charter/taxi (non scheduled revenue flight) and the reported phase was flight at a lake, sea, ocean, river crash site.

57 people were known to be on board, 7 fatalities were recorded, 50 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 12.3%.

Crew on board: 6, crew fatalities: 1, passengers on board: 51, passenger fatalities: 6, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is technical failure. The aircraft, engaged on a non-scheduled flight from Blackbushe, England to Wadi Seidna, Khartoum, via Malta, took off from Blackbushe Airport at 2025LT on August 24 with 51 passengers and 6 crew. The flight was normal until 0025GMT when the aircraft reached a position about 20 miles west of Trapani. At this time, No. 2 and No. 3 engines showed signs of abnormal functioning and were deliberately shut down and the propellers feathered. Without electrical power except from the batteries which were depleted of their charge by use of the radio equipment for emergency signals, Nos. 1 and 4 engines began to show signs of abnormal functioning. At approximately 00300LT, a ditching was carried out on the sea between the Port of Trapani and the island of Formica. Four passengers were drowned and two missing, one stewardess was also missing.

Aircraft reference details include registration G-ALDF, MSN 81/7, year of manufacture 1950.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 38.0589°, 12.5582°.