1949 Manchester BEA Douglas DC-3 accident

1949 Manchester BEA Douglas DC-3 accident
Wreckage of the DC3's undercarriage above Dovestone Reservoir
Accident
Date19 August 1949
SummaryControlled flight into terrain caused by navigational and pilot errors.
SiteSaddleworth Moor, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
Aircraft

G-AHCY, the aircraft involved in the accident
Aircraft typeDouglas DC-3
OperatorBritish European Airways
RegistrationG-AHCY
Flight originNutts Corner Airport, Belfast, Northern Ireland
DestinationManchester Airport, England
Passengers29
Crew3
Fatalities24
Injuries8
Survivors8

The 1949 Manchester BEA Douglas DC-3 accident occurred when a twin-engined British European Airways Douglas DC-3 (registration: G-AHCY) crashed on Saddleworth Moor in the Pennines near Oldham, Lancashire, after a flight from Belfast. The accident killed 24 of the passengers and crew on board. The aircraft had first flown in 1944, and was captained by F. W. Pinkerton, a former RAF serviceman who, as a sergeant, had been posted missing during World War II. The airline was government-owned.