What happened
On a scheduled service traveling from Southampton Water toward Madeira via Lisbon, an aircraft departed with 50 passengers and 8 crew members. The flight initially proceeded normally, completing its takeoff and climbing through the early stages of departure. Shortly after takeoff, the aircraft sent a routine departure notification to the Southern Air Traffic Control Centre in London.
At approximately 22:54LT, the radio officer contacted the Aquila base at Southampton to report that the number four engine had feathered and that the plane was returning urgently. Roughly one minute following this transmission, the aircraft type crashed into a quarry located between Brook and Chessell on the Isle of Wight. The impact resulted in a post-crash fire. Out of the total 58 people on board, there were 43 fatalities, with only fifteen passengers surviving the accident.
Findings
Investigations determined that the crash was precipitated by the simultaneous loss of power from two engines. While the specific reason for the number four engine feathering remained unidentified, the failure of the number three engine was a critical factor. The stoppage of the third engine was attributed to either an electrical malfunction within the fuel cut-off actuator circuit or the unintentional activation of the cut-off switch.