§ 28. Mr. Beswickasked the Minister of Supply what inquiry was held after the crash of the Javelin fighter aircraft in which Mr. P. Lawrence, the Gloster Aircraft Company's test pilot, was killed: what was the cause of that accident; and what criticisms had been made to him of the controls of that aircraft before the accident.
§ Mr. MaudlingThe circumstances of the accident were fully investigated by an officer representing the Chief Inspector of Accidents. It was attributed to the aircraft encountering a condition known as the stabilised superstall. This condition had not previously been experienced. In earliest test reports some criticisms of the controls had been made and improvements were devised, but the reports did not suggest the possible occurrence of a superstalled condition and were not such as to indicate that the aircraft would be dangerous in the hands of an experienced test pilot.