Southampton – Lisbon – Funchal

On November 15, 1957 at 10:55 PM, Southampton – Lisbon – Funchal experienced a crash involving Short S.45 Solent, operated by Aquila Airways, with the event recorded near Brook Isle of Wight.

The flight was categorized as scheduled revenue flight and the reported phase was landing (descent or approach) at a plain, valley crash site.

58 people were known to be on board, 43 fatalities were recorded, 15 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 74.1%.

Crew on board: 8, crew fatalities: 8, passengers on board: 50, passenger fatalities: 35, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is technical failure. At approximately 2246LT the aircraft took-off from Southampton Water on a scheduled flight to Lisbon, en route for Madeira, with 50 passengers and a crew of 8. It made a normal climb and three minutes later passed a routine departure message to Southern Air Traffic Control Centre, London. At 2254LT however, the radio officer called the Aquila base at Southampton and transmitted this message: "No. 4 engine feathered. Coming back in a hurry." Approximately one minute later the aircraft crashed into the face of a quarry between Chessell and Brook on the Isle of Wight. The wreckage caught fire and, despite the efforts of people who quickly came to the scene, none of the crew and only fifteen of the passengers survived.

Aircraft reference details include registration G-AKNU, MSN S.1299, year of manufacture 1947.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 50.6527°, -1.4491°.