What happened
During a flight originating from Jersey and bound for Portsmouth, the crew encountered adverse weather conditions while descending from the south. As the aircraft approached the Isle of Bog, the pilot-in-command lowered the altitude of the plane. During this descent, the aircraft collided with a hillside located at Saint Boniface Down, situated northeast of Ventnor.
The impact and subsequent fire caused the total destruction of the airframe. The accident resulted in the immediate deaths of both pilots and eight passengers. Following the crash, a flight attendant and one additional passenger succumbed to their injuries, bringing the total death toll to ten fatalities. Additionally, five passengers sustained serious injuries during the event.
Findings
Investigations into the accident determined that the primary factor was an error of airmanship, which led the crew to operate the aircraft at an altitude below safe limits while navigating through poor weather and cloud cover, ultimately resulting in the collision with high ground.