ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 233065
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Friday 11 April 1913 |
| Time: | |
| Type: | Farman |
| Owner/operator: | Royal Naval Aviation School, Eastchurch |
| Registration: | Unknown |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Diggs Marshes, near Queensborough, Isle of Sheppey, Kent. -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RNAS Eastchurch (HMS Pembroke), Isle of Sheppey, Kent |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
As-yet unidentified (Farman?) biplane of the RNAS (Royal Naval Air Service) was written off (damaged beyond repair) on 11 April 1913 when it crashed at Diggs Marshes, near Queensborough, Isle of Sheppey, Kent. The two crew survived. According to a contemporary newspaper report ("Belfast News-Letter" - Saturday 12 April 1913)
"AN 800 FEET FALL.
Naval Airmen's Narrow Escape.
Captain Charles E. Risk, Royal Marines, and Chief Engine-room Artificer Frank Susans, of the naval wing of the Royal Flying Corps, met with an alarming aeroplane accident at Diggs Marshes, near Queensborough, yesterday. They were flying in a biplane at a height 600 or 800 feet when the engine stopped, owing to the carburettor freezing, and the machine fell to the ground and was wrecked.
After receiving medical treatment the two airmen were removed to the sick quarters at Sheerness Dockyard, where it was found that their injuries were not as serious as at first thought. Captain Risk suffered from shock and injury to the upper part of spine, but had no bones broken. Susans sustained a dislocated shoulder. Both are progressing satisfactorily."
Captain Charles E. Risk was in the R.M.L.I. and was to become Flight Commander at Harwich Naval Air Station shortly after this incident. According to the newspaper archives he was to die in Paris in 1926 at the age of 43 having achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.("Western Morning News" - Friday 05 February 1926):
"EARLY EXPONENT OF FLYING.
DEATH OF LIEUT.-COL C. E. RISK, ROYAL MARINES.
The death has occurred in Paris of Lieut.-Col. Charles E. Risk, late the Royal Marines, at the age of 43. The deceased officer was also a wing commander in the Royal Air Force. He qualified for his pilots certificate before the war, and was appointed for a course of aviation at the Central Flying School in August, 1912. In the following December he became flying officer with the Naval Wing at Eastchurch, and was placed in command of Felixstowe Naval Air Station the same month. In July, 1914, he was appointed squadron commander, with the temporary rank of major. He was promoted to wing commander in the Royal Air Force in April 1918, and retired in December, 1922. In 1919 he was mentioned in despatches, and was awarded the D.S.O.. He also possessed the Order of the Nile, third class.
The reported crash location was at Diggs Marshes, near Queenborough, a small town on the Isle of Sheppey in the Swale borough of Kent in South East England. Queenborough is two miles (3 km) south of Sheerness. It grew as a port near the Thames Estuary at the westward entrance to the Swale where it joins the River Medway at approximate coordinates 51.4183°N 0.7450°E
Sources:
1. Belfast News-Letter - Saturday 12 April 1913
2. Western Morning News - Friday 5 February 1926
3. Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant 12 April 1913
4. http://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=15099.0
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastchurch#Aviation_history
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Eastchurch#Royal_Navy_use
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queenborough
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 18-Feb-2020 20:58 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 04-Mar-2020 11:07 | Cobar | Updated [Aircraft type, Source] |
| 10-Jul-2021 03:03 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Source, Narrative, Category] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation