Chelsfield
Note: This map only shows the location of Chelsfield within the UK.
CHELSFIELD: Crash landing site
NOTES: In keeping with my, some might say ridiculous, broad brush approach to the subject - I have decided, here and there, to include some crash sites. Let's face it, they constitute quite a large segment in British aviation history, and, the public are always fascinated.
My evidence for this site comes the excellent biography 'Amy Johnson - Enigma in the Sky' by David Luff.
"She was returning to Croydon from Le Bourget in her Beechcraft, (My note: The D17 Staggerwing G-ADDH), when she ran into dense fog over southern England. In her desperate bid to put down for an emergency landing at Chelsfield, near Orpington, the aircraft somersaulted onto its back and she was left dangling from the straps. Again she was fortunate to escape with such minor injuries."
Here once again, in the history of this remarkable, and incredibly lucky aviatrix, it has to questioned - what on earth was she thinking of? Attempting something like this is nigh on suicidal. The Beech Staggerwing has a range of something like 600 miles, and the flight distance from Le Bourget to Croydon is around 250 miles. It is exceedingly rare for an area of fog to extend so far that a suitable diversion could not have been found - by turning back to France for example.
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