Somerton De Havilland Rapide crash - June 1949

On the morning of 16 June 1940, a De Havilland Rapide on a scheduled flight from Southampton Airport overshot the runway at Somerton Airfield, Isle of Wight and crashed.

In 1940 Somerton Airways, Ltd., of Cowes opened an air service between Cowes Airport (Somerton Airfield) and Southampton Airport (Eastleigh). On the morning of 16th June, a De Havilland Rapide operating this service from Southampton, and carrying eight passengers (including three young children) crashed after overshooting the runway.

An eye witness reported that the aircraft actually touched down and taxied across the airfield before becoming airborne again. The aircraft cleared the boundary hedge on Nodes Road side of the airfield, hit a tree on the opposite side of the road, knocked off the chimney pot of the bungalow 'Afton' and crashed into the field next to the bungalow.

The pilot and passengers were taken to local hospitals - five of the passengers were not seriously hurt and were not detained. The other four remained in hospital for a time but all recovered.

The aircraft was a write-off.

Somerton Airways suggested that the reopening of Three Gates Road and the resulting reduction in the size of Somerton Airfield had contributed to the accident.