Vickers FB.27 Vimy Commercial

Historical safety data and incident record for the Vickers FB.27 Vimy Commercial aircraft.

Safety Rating

9.9/10

Total Incidents

9

Total Fatalities

13

Incident History

January 12, 1931 3 Fatalities

Royal Air Force - RAF

Westwoodside South Yorkshire

The crew departed Brooklands Airport on a night delivery flight to Digby. On board were four crew members and the aircraft was coming out from the Vickers-Armstrong facilities at Brooklands Airport. En route, the crew apparently lost his orientation. The pilot reduced his altitude when the aircraft struck a bank and crashed in an open field. A crew member was injured while three others were killed. Crew: F/Lt Geoffrey Maynard Edward Shaw, † P/O John Edward Furlong Chapman, † F/Sgt Alfred George Rogers, † AC1 Cecil Alfred James Jones.

April 10, 1926 4 Fatalities

Inland Area Aircraft Depot

Henlow AFB Bedfordshire

The crew departed RAF Henlow for a local test flight. While flying in the vicinity of the airbase, the aircraft collided with an Avro 504K registered H9535. Also operated by the Inland Area Aircraft Depot, the aircraft was carrying one pilot. Following the collision, both aircraft dove in the ground and were destroyed by a post crash fire. All five occupants were killed. Crew from the Vimy: F/O Charles Victor Lacey, LAC Reginald Richard Germain, LAC Basil Henry Greene Young, AC1 James William Simmons. Crew Avro: F/O William Scott.

February 12, 1926 1 Fatalities

Royal Engineers Experimental Station

Porton Down Wiltshire

The crew departed Old Sarum Airfield on an exercise with this aircraft that was equipped for smoke screen work. En route, the crew encountered limited visibility due to foggy conditions and attempted to make an emergency landing when the aircraft clipped trees and crashed. A crew member was killed and two others were injured. Crew: S/L Alfred George Horsley-Carr, † Sgt William Norman Pink, AC2 Clifford Bartlett Cardall.

Royal Air Force - RAF

Manston Kent

The crew departed Manston Airport on a local training flight. On final approach, the aileron on the right engine failed. The pilot elected to initiate a go-around procedure when the aircraft stalled and crashed short of runway threshold. All four occupants were injured and the aircraft was destroyed.

October 3, 1921 5 Fatalities

Royal Air Force - RAF

Manston Kent

The crew departed Manston on a local training flight. Shortly after takeoff, while climbing to a height of 200 feet, the pilot initiated a turn when the aircraft stalled and crashed, bursting into flames. The aircraft was totally destroyed and all five occupants were killed. The loss of control occurred during initial climb in strong winds. Crew: F/O Leslie Wallis Beal, AC1 Terence Curtis, AC2 Robert J. Reeves, AC2 Albert Arthur Revell, AC2 Walter Edward Thrupp.

South African Air Force

Bulawayo Bulawayo

On approach to Bulawayo, Matabeleland, the crew encountered problems and the aircraft crashed. Both occupants, engaged in a cross country flight to Cape Town, South Africa, were injured and the aircraft named 'Silver Queen II' was destroyed. Crew: Lt Col Pierre van Ryneveld, Lt Christopher Joseph Quintin-Brand.

Vickers-Armstrongs Ltd

Tabora Tabora Region

The crew was performing a flight from UK to South Africa. En route, he encountered several technical problems. At 0650LT, the aircraft took off from Tabora Airport but the cooling system failed shortly later. The pilots returned to Tabora and made the appropriate repairs. The aircraft took off again at 1400LT but shortly later, the left engine failed. The aircraft stalled and crashed in an acacias area near the airport. While all five occupants were injured, the aircraft was damaged beyond repair. The flight was one of the first transafrican cross country flight from London to Cape Town and was sponsored by the London Times.

South African Air Force

Wadi Halfa Northern (<U+0627><U+0644><U+0634><U+0645><U+0627><U+0644><U+064A><U+0629>)

The crew departed Brooklands, UK, for Derna on the night of 04FEB1920. After a 11-hour flight, the crew encountered bad weather conditions over the Mediterranean Sea but was able to land without problems in Derna, Lybia, to refuel. While approaching Wadi Halfa Airport by night, the crew encountered technical problems (a radiator leak) when the aircraft crashed short of runway. Both pilots were injured and the aircraft named 'Silver Queen' was destroyed. Crew: Lt Col Pierre Van Ryneveld, Lt Christopher Joseph Quintin-Brand.

Vickers-Armstrongs Ltd

Clifden Connacht

British aviators John Alcock and Arthur Whitten Brown were performing one of the first transatlantic crossflight from the US to Europe. The aircraft departed Saint John’s-Lester Field, Newfoundland, on 14JUN1919 at 1345LT. Following an uneventful flight of 15 hours and 57 minutes at an altitude of 12,000 feet and at an average speed of 185 km/h, both pilots reached the Irish coast on the morning of June 15. While landing in an open field located in Clifden, Galway, the twin engine aircraft nosed down and came to rest. Both pilots were slightly injured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Safety Profile

Reliability

Reliable

This rating is based on historical incident data and may not reflect current operational safety.

Primary Operators (by incidents)

Royal Air Force - RAF3
South African Air Force2
Vickers-Armstrongs Ltd2
Inland Area Aircraft Depot1
Royal Engineers Experimental Station1