By Utibe Inyang
On April 7,1922, the first mid-air collision involving airliners took place over Picardie – France, resulting in seven deaths. The British airline, Daimler Airway had started operating the de Havilland DH.18A, registered G-EAWO, and was flying mail from Croydon Airport to Le Bourget Airport in Paris. Flying from the opposing route was the Farman F.60 Goliath, registered F-GEAD, operated by the three-year-old French company CGEA (Compagnie des Grands Express Aériens). The aircraft was carrying an American couple on honeymoon – a mechanic and a French national. At two o’clock in the afternoon, while flying in foggy conditions over Thieuloy-Saint-Antoine, Picardie, France, the DH.18A collided with the F.60, and six people died instantly in the crash. The steward of the DH.18A survived and was taken to a nearby hospital where he would later die of his injuries.
It is presumed that both flight crews were following the route by maintaining visual contact with the ground. At the time, airways followed geographic landmarks such as rivers and railways. As they were trying to find their way in the fog, the Pilots did not see each other in time to conduct evasive maneuvers. This accident led to several changes in international regulations, with the obligation to carry radio equipment in all airliners, and the establishment of well-defined and concerted air corridors (routes).
REFERENCE
wikipedia.org
aerotime.aero
simpleflying.com
