Crew 3 Survivors 7 Number of deaths 35 Destination Manchester Airport | Passengers 39 Fatalities 35 Date 27 February 1958 Injuries (nonfatal) 7 | |
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Aircraft type Bristol Type 170 Freighter Similar 1958 London Vickers Vi, 1958 Dan‑Air Avro York, 1958 Central African Ai, 1958 Channel Airways d, KLM Flight 607‑E | ||
The Winter Hill air disaster occurred on 27 February 1958 when the Silver City Airways Bristol 170 Freighter G-AICS, traveling from the Isle of Man to Manchester, England, crashed into Winter Hill (also known as Rivington Moor) several hundred yards away from the Independent Television Authority's Winter Hill transmitting station.
Contents
Thirty-five people died and seven were injured. The ICAO report states that the accident occurred at 09.15 in the morning. At this time, the weather was so severe that none of the engineers working in the ITA transmitting station were aware of the crash. Several feet of snow hampered rescue efforts, and a snow cat vehicle had to be diverted from the A6 to cut a path for emergency vehicles though the track had been cleared by people using spades by the time it arrived.
Background
The flight was essentially a charter flight from Ronaldsway Airport in the Isle of Man to Manchester Ringway Airport for a group of mainly Motor Traders to visit the Manchester Exide Battery Factory and Manchester car show.
Crash
The Silver City Airways Bristol 170 Freighter G-AICS, call sign "Charlie Sierra", was due to fly from Ronaldsway Airport, Ballasalla, on the Isle of Man to an aircraft reporting point at Squire's Gate about 3 miles (4.8 km) from Blackpool. The aircraft was flown by Captain Cairnes at an altitude of 1,500 feet (460 m) due to low cloud and other air traffic in the Manchester area. After gaining clearance from air-traffic control at Manchester Ringway Airport, Captain Cairnes flew "Charlie Sierra" inland to Wigan Beacon, a non-directional beacon in the Manchester Zone, which transmitted a recognition signal of "MYK" in morse code on a frequency of 316 kHz and a range of about 25 miles (40 km). Due to a number of navigation errors in respect to the radio compass bearings and altitude readings, the Silver City Bristol Freighter crashed near the summit of Winter Hill, five miles (8 km) south-east of Chorley, Lancashire at 9:45 am on 27 February 1958.
PROBABLE CAUSE: The error of the first officer in tuning the radio compass on Oldham Beacon instead of on Wigan Beacon.