ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 145117
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| Date: | Sunday 4 December 1910 |
| Time: | morning |
| Type: |  Gas balloon |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | Unregistered |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
| Location: | Near Park Cottage, Berstane Road, Kirkwall, Orkney -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Munich, Bavaria, Germany |
| Switzerland | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
In December 1910, three Germans took off in a balloon from outside Munich, heading - they thought - for Switzerland. Once aloft, the weather changed, cloud built up, the wind veered and by nightfall they were completely lost. In the morning hearing the sound of the sea they descended for a look.
Unfortunately their basket bounced off the top of a wave then shot upwards. When they had recovered their wits Herren Distler and Joerdens realised that their companion Herr Metzger had been thrown out of the basket. He was never seen again.
As the second night approached the two survivors saw some lights and started another descent. Once again the basket hit the sea before being dragged ashore by the partially deflated balloon where they demolished a wall near Park Cottage, Berstane Road, on the outskirts of Kirkwall, Orkney. It was the first ever air crash in the Orkneys.
Sources:
1. http://www.crashsiteorkney.com/orkney-early-aviation-history
2. http://www.caithness.org/caithnessfieldclub/bulletins/2002/early_flying_in_the_north_of_scotland.htm
3. http://photos.orkneycommunities.co.uk/picture/number591.asp
4. https://sites.google.com/site/britishislesaviationaccidents/database-from-1910-to-1919
5. http://www.rcawsey.co.uk/Accmisc.htm
6. https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/200393079-park-cottage-berstane-road-kirkwall-kirkwall/maps#.YuKXXmjx7X0
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 18-Apr-2012 00:10 | ryan | Added |
| 10-Dec-2013 20:45 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Registration, Operator, Total fatalities, Other fatalities, Source, Narrative] |
| 10-Dec-2013 20:46 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Date, Damage] |
| 13-Feb-2017 20:49 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Location, Nature, Source, Narrative] |
| 11-Feb-2019 01:45 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Date, Aircraft type, Source] |
| 28-Jul-2022 14:06 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Location, Departure airport, Source, Category] |
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