1935 SABENA Savoia-Marchetti S.73 crash

The 1935 SABENA Savoia-Marchetti S.73 crash occurred on 10 December 1935 when Savoia-Marchetti S.73 OO-AGN of Belgian airline SABENA crashed at Tatsfield, Surrey, England, while on an international scheduled flight from Brussels Airport Haren, Belgium to Croydon Airport, United Kingdom. All eleven passengers and crew were killed.

Accident

The aircraft was operating an international scheduled service from Haren Airport in Brussels to Croydon, the main airport of London. Between 16:30 and 17:00 GMT, the aircraft crashed into the large garden of a house Mosscroft, Kemsley Road, Tatsfield, close to its aerial beacon and north of the village towards Biggin Hill. The aircraft crashed into the north-sloping hillside at about 500 ft, 140 ft below the top of the hill. Witnesses who heard the aircraft in flight stated that the engines were not running smoothly. Other aircraft flying that night had encountered icing of their wings. All eleven people on board were killed in the accident. Police and ambulances from Biggin Hill, Oxted and Tatsfield attended. It was the early hours of 11 December before all the victims' bodies had been recovered. A number of sightseers looted portions of the wreckage for souvenirs, which was criticised by Major Cooper, the Air Ministry inspector in charge of the investigation into the accident. Evidence given at the inquest indicated that the aircraft had stalled, with the engines not at full power at the time of the accident. Carburettor icing was ruled out as a cause of the accident.

A temporary mortuary was set up in St Lawrence's Church, Caterham. Identification of all victims was by means of passports and other identity papers they were carrying. The inquest into the deaths of the victims opened in Caterham on 16 January 1936. Evidence was given that the pilot was experienced, having been employed by SABENA since 1927. No distress calls had been made by radio. Verdicts of "accidental death" were returned in all cases.