Liverpool – Belfast

On April 1, 1946 at 10:00 AM, Liverpool – Belfast experienced a crash involving De Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide, operated by Railway Air Services, with the event recorded near Belfast-City Antrim.

The flight was categorized as scheduled revenue flight and the reported phase was landing (descent or approach) at a airport (less than 10 km from airport) crash site.

6 people were known to be on board, 6 fatalities were recorded, 0 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 100.0%.

Crew on board: 2, crew fatalities: 2, passengers on board: 4, passenger fatalities: 4, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is human factor. On approach to Belfast-City Airport, the pilot encountered heavy rain falls and the horizontal visibility was reduced to 180 meters. Apparently to maintain a visual contact with the ground, he reduced his altitude when the aircraft hit tree tops and crashed in a wooded area located in Craigavad Cultra, some 10 km northeast of the airport. The aircraft was destroyed and all six occupants were killed, among them the pilot, captain E. Tyrer.

Aircraft reference details include registration G-AERZ, MSN 6356, year of manufacture 1937.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 54.5964°, -5.9302°.