On September 24, 1942, a Short S.30 Empire Flying Boat (registration G-AFCZ) operated by British Overseas Airways Corporation - BOAC was involved in an aviation accident near Dakar, Senegal in flight. 19 people were killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: An in-flight explosion likely caused by a sudden, uncontained failure of the fuel supply system. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 3 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
A seaplane en route from Lagos to Poole crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near Dakar, killing all 19 occupants after an in-flight explosion.
What happened
The aircraft was operating a scheduled flight from Lagos to Poole, with planned intermediate stops at Bathurst and Lisbon. Approximately ninety minutes after departing Bathurst, the seaplane lost contact and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Senegal. The crew did not manage to transmit any distress signal before the impact. Search operations conducted in the days following the incident recovered debris and six bodies on the Senegalese shoreline. Based on the location of the wreckage, it is estimated that the aircraft struck the water approximately 50 kilometers south of Dakar. All 19 occupants aboard were killed in the accident.
Findings
Investigations suggest that the disaster was triggered by an explosion occurring while the aircraft was in flight. The leading hypothesis indicates that this event may have resulted from a sudden and uncontained failure within the fuel supply system.
Probable cause
An in-flight explosion likely caused by a sudden, uncontained failure of the fuel supply system.
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