Accident Short S.23 Empire Flying Boat Mk II G-ADUU,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 342193
 

Date:Saturday 21 January 1939
Time:13:10
Type:Silhouette image of generic ss23 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Short S.23 Empire Flying Boat Mk II
Owner/operator:Imperial Airways
Registration: G-ADUU
MSN: S.812
Year of manufacture:1936
Engine model:Bristol Pegasus Xc
Fatalities:Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 13
Aircraft damage: Destroyed, written off
Category:Accident
Location:460 km SE off Port Washington, Long Island, NY -   Atlantic Ocean
Phase: En route
Nature:Passenger - Scheduled
Departure airport:Port Washington Seaplane Base, NY
Destination airport:Bermuda-Darrell's Island Seaplane Port
Narrative:
The Short S.23 Empire Flying Boat, named "Cavalier" took off at 10.38 a.m. About two hours later the captain decided to climb through a high cumulus cloud. While in clouds the engine power began to drop. He turned back towards Port Washington, hoping to regain a clear patch and thus cruise in more favourable conditions, but found that too much height had been lost to regain this patch and turned back on to his original course.
Flying in severe weather the airplane suffered a complete loss of power of the two inner engines and partial loss of power in the outboard engines. This was caused by carburettor icing.
A forced landing was carried out and the flying boat sank.
The tanker Esso Baytown was the first vessel to reach the scene of the accident and by midnight was able to report that she had picked up ten of the thirteen persons on board.

Sources:

Flight 30-3-1939
Flight 26-1-1939

Location

Revision history:

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