Transport Command (Accidents) (Hansard, 24 October 1945)

§ Mr. Strachey

During the period 1st July to 15th October, 1945, there were 24 accidents to aircraft operating in Transport Command involving death or injury. Of this total, 13 occurred to aircraft carrying passengers and resulted in the deaths of 191 passengers and 64 crew and injuries to eight passengers. We deeply regret the losses involved, but they must be seen in relation to the task imposed on Transport Command during the last few months. Since 1st July, the total passenger mileage for the Command has nearly doubled, and it has now reached the figure of 190,000,000 passenger miles a month. This great total is made up of flights covering the widest variety of activities over greater ranges, and under diverse and difficult conditions. The Command's work has varied from the carriage of passengers on scheduled services on well-organised routes to special tasks such as urgent supply dropping and the evacuation of prisoners of war from isolated areas in the Far East which were virtually military operations.

On the extensive scheduled services there were four fatal accidents, involving the deaths of 18 crew and 18 passengers. These figures represent a passenger fatality rate of one in approximately 13,000,000 passenger miles. There has been one serious accident in the first fortnight of our large-scale trooping operations. The remaining accidents nearly all 2158W occurred during flights in the nature of air operations, many of them carried out under most difficult conditions, before hostilities with Japan came to an end.

It is only right to look at these casualties against the vastly increased commitments, and, in fact, the accident rate for the Command has fallen over the past year. Nevertheless, this heavy loss of life demands that no measures shall be spared which would promote increased safety, and everything in our power will be done to give the Command the assistance and priorities it needs to fulfill its tremendous task.