Port Ellen – Glasgow

On September 27, 1946 at 01:40 PM, Port Ellen – Glasgow experienced a crash involving De Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide, operated by Railway Air Services, with the event recorded near Milngavie Dunbartonshire.

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

7 people were known to be on board, 7 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: 5, passenger fatalities: 5, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is human factor. The descent to Glasgow-Renfrew Airport was started in poor weather conditions with a visibility of 3 km in drizzle. The crew passed over the airport at 1320LT without seeing the airfield and continued to the northwest. Three minutes later, the contact between the crew and local ATC was interrupted by a distress call from another DH.89 of Railway Air Services registered G-ADAJ. His copilot sent a mayday message and obtained the priority to land as he was short of fuel. As G-AFFF failed to arrive, SAR operations were conducted and its wreckage was found on the slope of Mt Craighton, near Milngavie, north of Glasgow. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire and all 7 occupants were killed. Crew: Fredrick Stephens, pilot, Alexander M. Calvert, navigator. Passengers: Alexander Jamieson, James Crombie, John McKay, George Beattie, Derek Miles.

Aircraft reference details include registration G-AFFF, MSN 6386, year of manufacture 1938.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 55.9411°, -4.3178°.