Graham Hill plane crash

On 29 November 1975, former Formula One champion and Embassy Hill team owner Graham Hill died when the Piper Aztec light aircraft he was piloting crashed near Arkley in the London Borough of Barnet, England, while on approach to Elstree Airfield. The other five passengers on board, forming the core of his Formula One team, were also killed.

The group was returning from a trip to southern France to test the new Hill GH2, one month after the end of the 1975 Formula One season. The accident occurred at night, and at the time foggy conditions prevailed in the area. An investigation into the crash was inconclusive, but pilot error was deemed the most likely explanation.

Background

On 28 November, the day before the accident, Hill had flown his Aztec to Le Castellet Airport, next to the Paul Ricard Circuit in southern France. On board were five other members of the Embassy Hill team: mechanics Tony Alcock and Terry Richards, team driver Tony Brise, team manager Ray Brimble and car designer Andy Smallman.

The group were at the Paul Ricard Circuit testing the team's new Hill GH2 racing car for the 1976 Formula One season. They were scheduled to return on 30 November, but the test was curtailed. Photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones (Lord Snowdon) had considered flying with the group, but did not go as he felt that he had already taken enough photographs.

Accident

At 15:30 GMT on 29 November, the group departed from Le Castellet and flew to Marseille-Marignane Airport. Hill visited the self-briefing room and obtained weather reports for the London area. An IFR flight plan was filed for a flight to Elstree Airfield, with Luton Airport as alternate.

The Piper Aztec took off from Marseille at 17:47. Contact was made with London Air Traffic Control Centre at 20:45 and a weather report for Elstree was obtained, giving a visibility of 2,000 metres and a cloud base of 300 ft AGL. At 21:19, the aircraft was passed to London Heathrow Approach and Hill was informed that visibility at Elstree was 1,000 metres. At 21:21, having descended to 4000 ft passing south of Lambourne VOR, Hill was informed that visibility at Elstree had decreased to 800 metres. The aircraft was subsequently cleared to descend to 1500 ft, below which any further descent was at the pilot's discretion.

At 21:28, the London Approach controller contacted N6645Y to pass further information; there was no reply. Shortly afterwards, radar contact was lost. The Aztec, with its landing gear and flaps already extended, brushed the top of a large tree at an elevation of 460 ft AMSL within Arkley Golf Course, 3 nmi to the east and 130 ft above Elstree airfield. It then descended further, colliding with more trees, rolling to the right, striking the ground with its wing tip and finally crashing into a copse. An intense fire developed after the impact, which destroyed most of the aircraft. All six occupants were instantly killed.

Elstree's runway was equipped with edge lights and a low-intensity visual slope indicator, but lacked any radio aid and there were no published instrument approach procedures for the airfield, making it unsuitable for low-visibility operations. Witnesses near the crash site reported that weather conditions at the time were thick fog, with a visibility of 50 to 100 metres.

Around three hours earlier, a pilot of another light aircraft had attempted three approaches into Elstree, assisted with radar headings and distances to the airfield provided by London Approach. On all three attempts, descending to as low as 300 ft AGL, the airfield lights either remained not visible or were spotted too late to proceed with the landing. The pilot eventually diverted to another airport. Visibility above the cloud layer at 1000 ft AMSL, was reported as very good.