The F1 Team Lost in the Fog: Hill F1 and the Graham Hill Plane Crash

[@AidanMillward]

The confusion between IFR and VFR is so bad, I'm not a pilot! Literally I don't speak to anyone on Flight Simulator, but that might be because the ATC in that game is a bit shit...

[@jonmoore176]

You could try Vatsim

[@GreatCdn59]

seconded on vatsim

[@hecksters423]

Does the ATC introduce themselves as "Groundpound69"

[@BenTrem42]

Instrument ... Visual ... gotta have priority attention :-)

[@johnelliott7850]

Ditto.

[@whyareyoureadingmynickname8158]

It's crazy to think that Graham Hill raced both against Fangio and Lauda. He's a true legend of motorsport, may he rest in peace.

[@GreatCdn59]

holy shit never thought of that

[@GBURGE55]

Always had that in my mind as he had such a long career. Just look at the difference between his first F1 car the 1958 'F2' Lotus 12 & his last his own 1975 Hill GH2. Unbelievable contrast. Hill's career was during the sports biggest era for change.

[@apophisstr6719]

@@GBURGE55 Graham really is one of the greatest legend who ever graced the sport, it's a huge loss that he passed away so early.

[@GBURGE55]

@@apophisstr6719 I'm a huge Graham Hill fan. He died when I was 11 but know his racing career inside out. To die in a plane crash just after safely retiring was a terrible ending for him (& his family).

[@davidchapman3042]

It’s absolute bonkers,also then he raced other motorsports like daytona indy le man, used to do f2 races with jim clark and jackie stewart,became a constructor.

[@MaxScheibenpflug]

After listening to the ending (what happened to the Hill family after the crash), suddenly Murray Walker's lump in the throat makes even more sense to me than it already did.

[@philwoodward5069]

Yeah I kind of wrote that off as performative jingoism at the time (as a left wing 14-year-old). I kind of assumed Murray would have been that emotional about any British driver, but it turns out Murray just knew a lot more of the backstory than I did and he knew the people involved. As an idiot kid I just thought Damon was a bit shit compared to Senna and Schumacher and had a better car than he deserved, but actually he made the best of the talent he had and he had anything but the cushy life I assumed the son of a double world champion would have had.

[@The_ZeroLine]

@@philwoodward5069I mean he was, but he was still a great driver who did it far from the easy way.

[@funonoldwheels7150]

​​@@The_ZeroLineHill won fair and square against peak skill and aggression Schumacher. He, and Villeneuve, don't get nearly the credit they deserve for that feat. You know that Schumacher was threatened by both because he did his patented turn in on both.

[@philwoodward5069]

@@funonoldwheels7150 Hmm. I still maintain if that Adelaide incident is removed from its championship context and viewed as a standard racing incident (the way we would view a collision between two unknown F3 drivers fighting over 10th), more than 50% of people would say the second car (in this case Hill) was guilty of a late lunge and was a bit of an idiot for ruining his own race. And it's no answer to say Schumi's car was probably damaged - it was evidently still capable of turning right pretty effectively and, of course, if Hill thought Schumi was inevitably going to pull off the circuit with damage then that only makes his move even more ill-judged. Jerez was different - the only possible mitigation is to say it wasn't a calculated move (or, at least, not very well calculated) because if it had been, Schumi's most effective course would have been to let Villeneuve by and then take him out at the next corner before he could pull away (a la Soper on Cleland). More an act of panic than of outright malice. Neither 94 nor 97 was a level playing field, of course. Realistically, a Newey chassis was a big advantage.

[@The_ZeroLine]

@@funonoldwheels7150 They had a major car advantage. That’s why they don’t get much credit. Hamilton, while I’m not a fan, gets credit because before he got a totally dominant car half the field would have won a WDC in, he showed his talent level against drivers in equal machinery. He so, while Hill was good, he’s not even in the top 50 drivers of the last 30 years.

[@keithburrage1424]

I was a firefighter on duty at Birmingham Airport that night and spent most of the night on the adjacent golf course, where a Beechcraft Baron had also crashed in the fog killing all four souls on board! I got home just in time for the 7am news where I heard about Graham's accident on Arkley Golf course. The similarities made my hair stand on end!

[@andrewince8824]

Hmm. So Beechcraft aircraft and golf courses might be dangerous. Best start turning the golf courses into racing circuits, just to be safe. 😉

[@y_fam_goeglyd]

I was 10 when it happened. Graham Hill had been my Dad's favourite F1 driver (probably as much to do with Hill's wicked sense of humour as his talent), and so was mine. I remember the news breaking. It's not something you forget easily. I remember reading and watching things about what happened to the rest of the family afterwards. It was heartbreaking. I've been an unashamed Damon fangirl ever since he turned up on the F1 scene. Thanks for the story, Aidan. It's good to tell those who are too young or only recently into F1 all the histories, because I feel it gives you a greater appreciation for what we have now.

[@johntechwriter]

This is the point in a child's life when they realize the brutality of existence: No amount of talent, wittiness, or past accolades will spare you when one silly mistake results in destroyed lives and poverty for the survivors.

[@terryjacob8169]

Graham was a national treasure. Even people who weren't into motor racing really loved him. When he was on television his sense of humour and comic timing were the equal of many full-time comedians.

[@KR1736]

There’s a highlight video on here of him presenting on tv and he just had the best timing and wit, he was a natural at it all the way

[@nearlynormal]

I was flying nearby that day in a single engine Cessna, wishing I hadn't even taken off because the weather conditions were so bad. I knew it'd be near impossible to make a safe landing if I had to. I had departed Shannon Ireland, enroute to Malta so my route took me a little west of the track Graham had flown going the opposite direction. I learned of his crash the next morning after I had landed in Malta.

[@pfield39]

I was at the London Air Traffic Control Centre that evening, a newly minted controller working in the Flight Information service which works VFR and IFR aircraft not receiving a radar control service inside controlled airspace. Due to the fact it was night and the weather was very poor, we were very quiet. Whilst chatting waiting for the shift to end someone came into our ops room, which was separate to the main one, to ask if we had worked the Aztec inbound to Elstree, of course we hadn't. Shortly afterwards we got the sad news of the crash. When you work in aviation you are conscious of the possibility of fatal accidents, especially if you also fly yourself. I have quite a few memories of such incidents, but I remember this crash rather more vividly as Graham Hill and his colleagues met their end in it. It's not the first time that a transition from IFR to VFR at night in poor weather inbound to an airfield with only basic facilities has ended in tragedy, it certainly wasn't the last.

[@mrkipling2201]

I thought it was great when Damon Hill won the British Grand Prix, as he did something that his father never did. Completed the duo for the Hill family, as Graham won the Monaco Grand Prix, something Damon never did. I don't think we'll see anyone completing the triple crown in the modern era of Motor Racing. Even Alonso. Although if anyone will do it, he will, as was mentioned. Great video as always. Interesting, informative and educational.

[@DjDolHaus86]

Modern motorsport requires too much dedication to one discipline to ever really stand a chance at winning at the others, in the 60/70s the cars were more similar across disciplines and the season was much more spaced out allowing you to dabble in multiple events if you so wished (of course I'm not ignoring the fact it was far, far easier to die back then). The only way I see it being possible would be if a driver made it their career goal, attributed 10 years to each discipline and was lucky/skilled enough to win all 3 within that time

[@dxfifa]

@@DjDolHaus86 Not really, the big problem is f1 teams refuse to fire shit drivers and if they do they exclusively hire f2 stars or ex f1 drivers. And the main realistic path was Indy to f1 to WEC. Montoya could have done it if he stayed in f1 and wanted to race in WEC

[@DjDolHaus86]

@@dxfifa I think you are vastly underestimating the logistics. To drive in f1 you have to qualify for a super license, this requires accumulating points through doing extremely well in specific feeder series. Once you've got your super license you've got to get a drive at a top 3 team in order to stand a chance of qualifying high enough to be in contention of winning Monaco, a race where overtaking is pretty much impossible, you then get 1 attempt per season to reach the top of the podium when the flag falls. Winning le man's requires being in a competitive car and a lot of luck on top of the necessary skill. Being in the fastest car doesn't count for much if you suffer a race ending mechanical issue or get caught up in someone else's accident during the 24hrs. Arguably it's easier to get a seat in a competitive car because you already exceed license requirements and don't need to be a full timer (although it helps unless you've got big sponsors behind you). The indy 500 is your best chance in terms of getting a fair shot in terms of being able to jump in any car and stand a chance of winning thanks to the (as close to) equal spec cars. Its still a huge mountain to climb and you need a lot of skill and luck to be in front when the flag falls. You can't take a crack at every race every year because of the event overlap, the 500 and Monaco are on the same weekend and le man's fits between the Canadian and Spanish gp. In order to have a reasonable chance of winning them all you're going to need multiple attempts just to balance out the luck even if you're the greatest all round driver of all time. This isn't the golden days of racing where being handy behind the wheel means you can jump into any discipline and stand a good chance, this is the age of specialisation where being naturally talented only gets you near the car, winning requires dedication, practice and a scientific approach to extracting winning performance from masses of accumulated data.

[@HonourGuardian]

I used to work in borehamwood (and funily enough now live close to Luton airport), about a mile from the crash site and regularly drove past the Arkley golf course and pub. When its foggy its almost eery for me. Flying in the 60s and 70s was a different beast. (Also as an aviation enthusiast - your VFR/IFR description and explanation of the licencing issues was pretty spot on. Great Video!

[@lionnelmurimi651]

Very few people will ever feel or understand the pressure that Damon lived up to.

[@l1a146]

I was 8 years old and living in the UK when this happened. I was also a Mad Hill and F1 nut even then. I had the Scalextric Grand prix 8 Set with a White and Red Shadow in it, supposedly to represent the Hill car. Those shadow DN1's were the sweetest looking cars. 48 years and a move to Australia later, I still have that Scalextric set. I Might have to dig it out later and give Grahams car a run around. Thanks for this one mate. It was such a long time ago, but I remember it like it was Yesterday. Like many others of my age who remember Graham, we all sat with our fingers crossed for Damon. I was so happy when he finally got that championship done.

[@andymckee53]

I live near the golf course in question and have visited the actual site of the crash where there is a small plaque. I’m also a pilot and have read the full accident report. Sadly 100% pilot error on Graham’s part. He was advised to go to Luton but insisted on continuing his approach to Elstree even though it was way below minimums for a visual approach.

[@stewartw.9151]

A fairly common and well-known type of aviation accident - continued VFR flight into IFR conditions. Even having been trained and qualified for VFR flight, Graham Hill had clearly not maintained his proficiency or rating to be able to safely operate in such conditions.

[@rotax636nut5]

I was at school with Tony Brise, he was a year above me, be was arrogant and he bullied me, around 100 years ago my late father had history with the Brise family when Mr Brise and his family turned up on their doorstep (Tony Brises grandparents) and begged my fathers family to take them in and give them shelter at their farm because they were homeless and they stayed for about a year until the family got back back onto it's feet.

[@ysgol3]

Great work, thank you. I've never been able to reconcile Graham's brilliant risk management as a driver - only two bad crashes in his very long career - both in 1969 - Spain and the USA and neither his fault - with his flying recklessness which killed him and his team in that ridiculous accident. Damon in his brilliant memoir does present some compelling mitigation - that above the clouds it was a beautiful night and that the person in charge at Elstree airport may have forgotten to turn on the landing lights for him despite being asked to do so by Graham's wife Bette on instruction from Graham. Other people in another great book, David Tremayne's The Lost Generation (about Williamson, Brise and Pryce,) referred to Graham's risky flying, for example simply taking off without letting the engine warm up, also landing at Elstree shortly before he was killed without telling the control tower he was coming! I also can't understand why someone as meticulous as Graham - his detailed racing notebooks are of course legendary - could have failed to do the necessary paperwork for the plane. The aeroplane was in perfect condition, it just hadn't been recorded as such. If it was a secretary who messed up, the micro-manager Graham would, surely, have found this out?? There's also Graham's failure, definitely I believe, to reset the altimeter for the flight from France. This apparently (I'm far from an expert!) made him think he was flying lower as he neared Elstree than he actually was, hence his hitting trees and crashing. Again, what the hell?? The only answer I suppose is that nobody's perfect! There's also the story that Graham only decided at the last minute to fly to Ricard, having planned to go shooting that weekend - I understand the team were already there, and I'm not sure that Graham flew out as well as back on the 29th - maybe the day before? If only he'd diverted for a safe, assisted landing at Luton - presumably he made a snap decision to avoid the hassle - only slight hassle - it wasn't that far away! And that failure cost him and his family everything - a glorious future as Sir Graham, a possible eventual championship winning team and driver - more wealth, happiness, fun - everything. In terms of a combination of unique sporting achievement, physical bravery and hilarious humour nobody has ever come close to Graham in all the years since 1975 - NOBODY - not even close. All the more credit to Damon for, amazingly, coming through that devastation to become World Champion himself - absolutely astounding. Here's a thought I've had for decades. Graham had known Lord Lucan - they were members of the same 'Gentlemen's Club' in London - and when Lucan vanished a year before the police suspected Graham of flying him out of the country after the murder of the family nanny. It was investigated and came to nothing, but who knows what really happened. Now here's the thing. Did Graham have Lucan on the plane to Elstree, perhaps flying him back for a brief visit to sort some things out ? This would explain his failure to divert to the much more populated Luton. My thought needs Lucan to have been burned so badly in the crash that his corpse was somehow missed - they were all horribly disfigured as I understand it. Hence him never having been found...yes it does sound nuts doesn't it.

[@walterelliott4816]

"Walter from Orange, NJ -- Mark Donohue's birth hospital; long time, first time." Your research clarified what happened before and afterward. If news about Mark's death left me numb for a week, then news of Graham Hill, Tony Brise and the others on "Hillarious Airways" (Rob Walker's longstanding term) was the closest thing to being hit by lightning for me. TY and keep up the good work!

[@alang911]

I was working that night at Heathrow for BCAL airfreight when the news came over the radio. Graham was one of my hero's and his book "Life at the Limit" was a great read. I was connected with motorsport and aviation at the time. As a pilot myself, you are always responsible for the safety of the people on board and the aircraft you are in command of. Air Traffic Control are there to help you, but ultimately, the decisions the pilot makes are always key. Graham made a mistake and should have gone to Luton where he could have landed safely with the ATC facilities available to him at Luton, not available at Elstree. As far as competency, he was an experienced qualified pilot, maybe needing to revalidate some of his licenses, but judgement human error was the issue here. Colin McRae also made similar mistakes. The old saying; "There Are Bold Pilots, Old Pilots but not many Old Bold pilots"! Graham was great loss to all of us!

[@daveash9572]

Such a sad story. Thank you for sharing. Must have been so hard for young Damon to hear.

[@jonmoore176]

Thanks for the video. Graham was a bit of a rebel right to the end, no IFR licence and overestimating his ability to land in fog. Damon's achievements seem so much greater when you know the full story.

[@AidanMillward]

Damon said it was his staff that organised all the renewal paperwork so maybe he was doing it assuming it was all done. But like when you drive around with no MOT for a couple of weeks cos you didn’t get the letter come through reminding you. Speaking on behalf of a friend.

[@AJBa83]

It's that difference between blame and responsibility. Maybe he wasn't to blame for the paperwork, and genuinely did delegate it somewhere along the line. But ultimately his plane, therefore his responsibility.

[@NonFlyiingDutchman]

@@AJBa83 And trying to land in fog was definitely down to him. I love Graham Hill the driver but in the case of the crash he was irresponsible and reckless when he was responsible for the lives of others and it's hard to forgive him for that.

[@brandwessels8582]

As I commercial pilot (and a racer when I was young) I have known many, many people who thought they were smart enough to fly in bad weather (even with the correct training and maintained currency) - who are not with us anymore. Spatial disorientation WILL get you - very likely to be followed by CFIT (Controlled Flight Into Terrain). This was seemingly another clear case of pilot error. Let's just say a 1960 Aztec was not the kind of aircraft I would like to be flying in IMC. Apart from Spatial Disorientation, there are equipment error, embedded thunderstorms, vertigo, aircraft icing and visual illusions to be very concern about. Controlling an aircraft in longitudinal, lateral and vertical axis in the air, while flying blind, is not as easy as driving any car. Flying in cloud , you can literally be upside down in a dive - without knowing it.

[@heliharris69]

Spot on... My sentiments entirely.

[@gordonwallin2368]

Good job, Aiden. I know as a pilot and motorcyclist (very common for both men and women) for decades, you do and did a great job with one of the coolest men. And a good IFR/VFR explaination. Cheers from the Pacific Coast of Canada.

[@brittenvilander4866]

My mum’s favorite driver. Living in Ca., we watched Graham race at the Riverside Can Am in John Surtees Team Lola T-70. A few years later in a F1 outing in the Lobster Claw Brabham at the non-championship Questar GP. Mum drove her new Mini Cooper with aplomb. License Plate “Graham”

[@keithmountain9437]

I was flying with a friend on the morning of the accident in a Piper Cherokee PA28 from Woodvale near Southport. We had intended to fly VFR north towards the Lake District but the gathering mist and fog soon made our decision to return to base for us. By the time details of Graham`s accident were flashed on our TV screens that evening the fog outside in Lancashire was inpenetrable. I was privileged to enjoy a cup of tea with Graham and Bette above the pits at Oulton Park after he had suffered a rare mechanical failure in his Ford Lotus Cortina. That was the era of too many losses of my motor racing heroes. RIP all.

[@martinh4630]

Great job Aidan, that's an important video. I remember the newsflash about Hill crash. I've have flown into and out of Elstree several times (PPL only) and your PPL/IFL descriptions were a good primer.

[@dumptrump3788]

1:54 "Graham Hill is someone who needs no introduction...." THAT has to be the understatement of the year.

[@robbyk5266]

That may be the overstatement of the year considering the year is not even 2 months old....😂

[@amazingazblo0239]

Well An F1 Fan As well as an Aviation Enthusiast Here. Going to Fly VFR without a VFR License is like Going to Space in a Space Shuttle without even having a Valid Certificate of Proper Training on what to do in Space and so on is really Sickening. Tho His PPL will expire in 1975 but His IFR Rating Legit Expired 4 Years ago. That is Crazy man Absolutely Crazy. Glad the 15 Year Old Damon or now Damon Hill Became a World Champion in 19966 World Champion and Possibly Saved the Hill Name From Shame is an absolute Arch of an Achivement.

[@jamesreynolds2867]

A well presented and accurate report, I remember the accident well, it was a foggy night and I was driving back home to Essex from the Watford area, only to see the report on TV the next morning RIP Graham and all the other five souls lost that night.

[@rhysbond9826]

I come borehamwood and lived near where Graham Hill lived. On the day he crashed his plane, i was on my way back from barnet, it's was very foggy that day. I was on a double decker bus , we just passed Ackly park golf course. When we heard a very loud sound of aircraft flying very low and close. No the bus it come from the left over to right. The noise was shortly after. The A1 would have been in plan sight.

[@leolopezvalido1892]

Being about the same age as Damon, his father was a hero of mine. I lived fairly locally to Elstree Aerodrome and it was always a treat to visit... until the moment I was told Graham was killed in his aircraft. It's a day I'll never forget.. God only knows what young Damon - and family - went through.. Rest in Peace Graham Hill.

[@ianblack5264]

I was a video cameraman for a marketing company working for Ricoh (which sponsored Damon). When Damon started his career, I'd get sent to record every race in his early years. Damon was a superb gentleman, just like his father, but watching and being near his mum at races was excruciating because she lived on her nerves. She was a wonderful person, but watching her watching Damon at the races was heartbreaking. But if you think Damon was good in cars, you should have seen him on bikes. He used to go to the back of the field purposefully and then weave his way through the traffic to retake the lead - awe-inspiring.

[@gordonkachuk5457]

Graham was the ultimate hero in my view. I witnessed many of his victories including Le Mans in 1972. As a C310 IFR rated pilot I have also flown into Elstree which was quite easy in visual condition, big water reservoir to the left of RWY 26. I also recall that locals would use a radio station frequency at the arrival end of the runway as an ADF beacon, but of course no glide slope guidance. Also in those days I don't believe the airport was equipped with a PAPI system. My oldest Jeppesen chart (March 1994) shows an 4.5ºAVASI for 26. What a sad day that was. Why, why, why.

[@matthewcamenzuli]

Even the bots in the comments enjoyed the video, top job Aidan

[@davidboyle9636]

Really interesting! I wasn't aware of the full details of the accident before, so thank you

[@dougachterberg5511]

Being a huge fan of Graham Hill I recall being in disbelief when reading his obituary written by Rob Walker in Road & Track. Aiden, thank you for the wonderful video.

[@ianwynne764]

Hello Aidan: This was really great. I knew the basic facts, however, you have filled in the human details. Thank you.

[@pranc236]

I never knew the story behind this. Thanks for this one and great choice. A buddy that has his IFR rating jokes and says it stands for “i fly by roads”

[@AidanMillward]

Magenta line followers unite!

[@Ramtamtama]

@@AidanMillward racing pigeons use IFR. It was originally thought they went pretty much as the crow flies, but a camera put on a few for a race against James May showed them following the routes of motorways and rivers

[@globaleye8]

One of lifes true gentlemen - so here we go with a patchy memory, practice day, usually a Wednesday at Brands Hatch 1967ish, I was mechanicing for a private entrant. Graham arrived for his first test drive of Porsche and was circulating faster every lap, F1 was very different then, full of characters 🙂he was holding court at the bar with the Porsche mechanics one asked him in German when he was hitting 5th gear, my German was fairly good at the time having just returned home from 2 years as a mechanic in that fine country, I relayed the question to which Graham said "Christ I never knew it had 5 gears ! 😉

[@charamia9402]

A full 18 minutes of mostly new knowledge, now that's what I call a brilliant friday night! I have to say, I admire your ability to simplify complicated niche terminology - I have no knowledge or interest in planes and even I understood what you said lol. Another well executed informative and interesting video - you never fail to tickle my inner nerd.

[@graemebolger493]

Thanks for the detailed history of the Air Crash. Also the details on the Hill F1 team. I didn't know about the 1st Embassy Car being a Shadow.

[@alexrobertssings]

I really hope they make a movie about the Hill Family someday. From the glory of Graham's racing days, the hard times his death and Damon's redemption arc, its pure Hollywood! What's Ron Howard up to these days?

[@TheKievKen]

I was 8 when the crash happened. I would have to disagree with the whole 'family name' stuff. Graham Hill was, and remained (and still remains) a real British sporting hero. I read his book, I read books by others. The lack of pilot documentation was not a big thing in the psyche of the general public. I can understand why it would have affected the family, but the Hill name was most definitely not tarnished by this 'scandalous' crash. The clue was when you said he got the closest thing to a state funeral. Even if that was before the IFR rating naughtiness had been exposed, someone of such stature could easily have weathered such a storm. In fact, when Hill junior appeared on the scene, everyone thought he'd had the usual nepotistic super rich upbringing of many a young F1 driver and had been gifted a drive in a Williams because his dad was a famous F1 champ of yesteryear. Nobody thought, 'oh at last, the Hill name can be cleared by this young lad who was left destitute (was he though?) by his careless father". Anyways, thanks for an interesting and thought provoking video.

[@mdawson5859]

I understand from a pilot and racing driver who was very close to motor racing at that time , and also kept his own plane at Elstree airport that it’s now widely known that the altimeter on the Piper Aztec had not been reset to show the correct height above sea level on the approach to Elstree.

[@karlbassett8485]

When coming in to land pilots set the altimeter to QFE, to show height above the runway, not height above sea level.

[@nicholasmarshall3191]

I was 9 when this happened and lived near Brighton. I recall the accident and feeling a sense of loss. My Dad had taken me to a race at Brands Hatch earlier, and I had been hooked by the experience. I have been lucky enough to race when I was younger, and now at 58, I am an avid sim racer. Thank you for shedding more light on this tragedy.

[@concise707]

From an autosport family background, GH was a childhood Hero of mine. I've come here from another thread on this subject where I have posted this same information: The weather was very foggy that night; diversion to Luton or any other civilian airport was not a viable option in those conditions as the aircraft wasn't ILS equipped and a Surveillance Radar Approach with a 2nm termination range (circa 650ft Height Above Touchdown [HAT]) wouldn't have got him in..... and his instrument rating was no longer valid I understand. However, he could have declared a Pan or Mayday and requested a diversion to relatively nearby RAF Northolt where we had full instrument approach airfield lighting and a (3-D) Precision Approach Radar with a 230ft minima (HAT) that I could have talked him down with (notwithstanding his official lack of instrument rating); yes, I was duty Talkdown Controller at NHT that foggy night and I'm sure we could have got him in safely, if only he'd asked.

[@BrandonA1]

If you want to cover similar topics, there's the tragic tales of Alan Kulwicki and Davey Allison, 2 of the greatest drivers in motorsport history and both in their primes, dying within 3 months of each other from aviation crashes. It was Nascar's darkest hour, and even 30 years later it still feels surreal

[@CrewGuyPJ]

Alan's was due to icing..Davey was doing something he wasnt qualified to do.

[@kyle381000]

With great respect to both Allison and Kulwicki, NASCAR's darkest aviation hour may have been when the Hendricks plane crashed with the loss of 10 lives.

[@ViN-kr3ri]

Tony Brise's brother was in the same year as me at school when this happened and I remember when I heard about it on the news that Sunday night as if it was yesterday. Tony Brise was an incredible driver and unquestionably world champion calibre and he'd comfortably outperformed all of his teammates in the few short months he'd been in F1 in 1975, including Alan Jones. The Paul Ricard test they were flying back from had also been a huge success with the new car instantly a second quicker than its predecessor so who knows, had this awful event not happened we may have been talking about Tony Brise as the 76 champion.

[@truebrit3578]

Learning to fly on the West Coast of America was very much what drivers and team managers did at the time. But those clear sunny skies were hardly a good grounding for flying around in Europe’s murk. The problems with the Graham’s licensing had huge issues for his wife Bette as the other families involved in the accident successfully sued her, leaving her with very little. Drivers of the time were very much risk takers and Graham was not alone in dying early after retirement because of some non motor racing related accident.

[@bernhardangermaier380]

They called it : " Hillarious airline " In 1971 I picked him up, landing on Zeltweg airport, arriving to the Austrian GP. Never forget. The next day, I painted in big white letters right in the middle of the track, half way up the hill after the start/finish line: "W G. Hill". This sign everyone of the 100.000 spectators could see at any point the whole weekend. Even in TV it wasshown lap by lap. I have rare Super 8 films about that.

[@philipjamesparsons]

Racing figures I can think of who died in plane crashes; Carlos Pace, Davey Allison, Hill, Brise, Alan Kulwicki, David Leslie, Richard Lloyd, Brian Kriesky, Bertie Fisher, Steve Hislop, Colin McRae, David Purley, Al Holbert, Paul Morgan, Bettenhausen, Ron Flockhart, Reventlow, Ertl.... doubtless more.

[@darioallende4191]

Now I like Damon Hill more than ever before, great video and explanation Aidan. Take care, Cheers!

[@apophisstr6719]

6:41 My god...what an incredibly beautiful car, slick and classy, and every part looks so balanced with one another

[@kyle_c936]

As Aidan explained, it's a Shadow DN1, kind of a stopgap until Hill's team (eventually) built their own car. It was a looker in its day, maybe more so than it was in black at UOP Shadow. It was one of the first F1 cars to have a completely shrouded engine - seems ridiculous but up until then most of the engines were unshrouded and only had an airbox over the injection trumpets (see the following season's Embassy HIll Lola), if that, not a full engine cover. And as you say, its lines all flowed into each other. The Shadow DN1 was designed by Tony Southgate, who later designed the Group C Jaguars that won Le Mans, which were also beautiful - Southgate had a knack for that. Later Group C Jaguars were designed by Ross Brawn, who didn't have the knack (not that it really matters, of course, and I'm sure he didn't care) - despite their success, most of Brawn's race cars were fugly, at least compared to Southgate's (although I know that's objective!).

[@jamesgraham6122]

People today have no concept of what Grand Prix drivers were risking in those years. Motorsport had a much higher public draw due to the majority motoring public having become accustomed to car ownership following the war years, events such as Le Mans and the World Rally Championship drew immense public interest, especially rallying as the cars competing were very close to what people drove every day. Car-talk was as pre-eminent at the local pub as was football. The deaths of Grand Prix drivers was counted each year in numbers.. The drivers were viewed more like football stars are today and most were household names. It was the accepted norm that 2, maybe three would be lost each year. Graham Hill was at the very peak of popularity due to his highly extrovert nature.. the very epitome of a local popular hero. It's no exaggeration to say that when he retired as a driver, there was a nationwide sigh of relief that he'd made it through. His death, along with his passengers was a tragedy that simply stunned the country. Exactly why he made that attempt to land at Elstree that night can never be known, yes, his car was parked there, the thought that if he managed to slip in he would have not only been home in a few minutes but would have tested himself and his instrument flying skills and, as an Alpha Male, proved himself to himself, as is the nature of those types. It's likely that he was using signals from the Lambourne VOR, to position himself to begin an approach to Elstree, but a VOR is not a precision navigation aid and the VOR is some 20 miles from Elstree, the radials at that distance would offer only a vague indication as to position. In addition, it was discovered that his altimeter had not been adjusted to the height of the airfield. Whatever the technical contributions to the accident might be, to go looking for a small strip of runway in thick fog with no precision landing aids and only limited instrument flying practice is a throw of the dice, speaking as a (now retired), high time professional pilot I can state categorically that even with a highly qualified two pilot crew we would not have attempted that approach. RIP to a highly respected and much-loved gentleman.

[@bigantplowright5711]

A load of us went up the pub the evening after, still in thick fog. I will always remember one of the lads saying " all those races and to die like that"....... RIP

[@hueginvieny7959]

I've always had two interesting aviation and mororsports, but i have never really heard about this crash. As soon as i started this video and you named the plane and the conditions, i knew exactly what the cause would be. In general aviation, you pick one condition weather,night, and ice when you mix two flying becomes much more complex. With what he had on board for navigation equipment and the conditions, the outcome isn't surprising, but who it took from us definitely was

[@danpaskin2583]

Thanks for the video, Graham certainly was lost way too soon.

[@alaricbragg7843]

Thank you for this video. In 1970, Graham Hill actually drove the bulk of the season - and scored all his points - in a Lotus 49C. Also his last actual Formula One victory was in the 'Lobster Claw' Brabham at the Silverstone International Trophy race in 1971.

[@terrystevens5261]

Yep, the BT34, i was there with a friend of mine also called Graham Hill. it was a two part race, run with F5000 cars as well. i think it cost ten shillings and sixpence basic admission lol.

[@PhilippeLenain]

Hello Adrien, this is your best video to date, as far as I'm concerned! Congrats.

[@ZsebtelepHUN]

The fact Damon said in his book that he "saved" his family name with his title win, now that tells a whole story in itself. Damon must have felt insanely pressured to perform at the highest level, without ever really having to. No one in their right mind would have said that "yeah, you know, you either win a title in F1, otherwise your entire family should be just stripped of the Hill name as youre totally unworthy of it". Yet Damon still felt the pressure, and god knows how he succeeded. Im not sure if any driver ever had carried such a burden. The Williams team thought he had a tendency to bottle it - id say hes the only one who actually really made it.

[@kyle_c936]

Family pride and respect and even identity is a perspective all of its own. There's a video elsewhere on KZbin where Derek and Justin Bell are looking back on their careers, just a conversation between the two of them, father and son, and more than once Derek refers to what he calls 'the Bell way' - whether something they did, or even just how they conducted themselves, was 'the Bell way' (he wasn't talking about driving technique, it went a lot deeper than that!). That made quite an impression on me - I found it slightly odd but touching. I suppose Graham didn't live long enough to properly instil in Damon 'the Hill way' but in spite or maybe because of that, Damon did his dad proud.

[@ianblack5264]

@ianblack5264 27 seconds ago (edited) I was a video cameraman for a marketing company working for Ricoh (which sponsored Damon) and followed Damon when he started his career. I do not recall the team saying he 'bottled it,' but I do recall discussions that he didn't have the same aggression as the other drivers, which I don't believe was true either. IMHO, Damon was a real gentleman and I never saw him exhibit any of the egotistical traits of the other drivers. To me, that underpinned his professionalism and bravery.

[@redbird444]

It’s common to still use navigation by instruments (navigation aids) even flying VFR as opposed to pilotage (ground reference).

[@rsambrook]

You can only conduct a VFR approach to an airfield that doesn’t have published instrument approach procedures. However, I used to (1998-2001] ferry aircraft to Elstree from Bournemouth many times as my company HQ was based there. If flying in instrument metrological conditions IMC. Flying to BNN (Bovington VOR) take the 120 Radial, descend to 1000’ and if I see the airfield, ( 10 DME from BNN) then join the pattern else divert to Cranfield. I was a full UK Instrument rating, multi-engine instructor at the time. This was my cloud brake procedure to enable a VFR approach.

[@garysimpson3900]

Interesting parallels with Colin McCrea: pilot license issues, aircraft Registration issues, shouldn't have been carrying passengers in the circumstances & flying the aircraft/helicopter in what could be considered "risky" circumstances.

[@mijo3642]

There is no instrument approach into Elstree nor was there Air Traffic control. He was basically flying blind into the fog. We used to make up an instrument approach using the Capital radio beacon as a faux NDB, so he many have been doing that but as you said there are many, many lights on the way in that will confuse you. The lights were need to be switched on by someone in the bar!

[@bmolendijk7884]

IFR means Instrument Flight Rules (autopilot, knobs and meters in cockpit), VFR means Visual Flight Rules(eyesight, looking around, which will not work so well at night in dark)

[@charlesanzalone5846]

Great video

[@Margarinetaylorgrease]

Thank you for all you do here, you have provided me with many hour of fun, entertainment and education.

[@UPnDOWN]

I remember my nan used to dislike Graham Hill because there was someone on the aircraft who was young (16?) and a distant-relation or family friend of ours. Should probably look into it. She was pretty bitter about it, in the way only an old lady can be!

[@awalk5177]

Graham Hill will always be know as a Motor racing legend. His name and reputation was not damaged by the accident to the majority of the public. Damen Hill with his own racing career, actually enhanced, and still does, keep the family name is our mind.

[@terrystevens5261]

Most of the cars in F1 had huge air boxes in 1975 and the GH1 never looked out of place with its contemporaries.

[@GBURGE55]

One of Hill's cars (think it was the '74 Lola) that for at least one race had an enormous air box (non standard size) that just looked like a giant billboard

[@terrystevens5261]

Google the ligier JS5 of 1976, now that is huge, otherwise known as the tea pot. also a lot bigger than the Lola.@@GBURGE55

[@jenniferwhitewolf3784]

In his day, F1 was such a deadly sport. As a great enthusiast of Graham Hill, I let out a massive sigh of relief when he retired intact. I was beyond shocked and knocked into sudden sadness at the news of his passing in a light plane crash.

[@catmando7262]

Remember that news flash. When the news broke that it was Graham Hill, that meant so much to me and my mates. Graham was a legend and the shock is still palpable.

[@The_ZeroLine]

The chances of getting killed in F1 back then were high enough it’s crazy that he went down this way. I race and also have a PPL. As they say, hours of boredom punctuated moments of sheer terror. I paraglide too and it’s the most amazing way to see the earth.

[@T_Mo271]

Complicated topic, nicely handled. Very tough for the Hill family.

[@tectoramia-sz1lu]

I still remember this happening, but interesting to hear about the details. Hill was quite a character, appearing on a number of TV shows. Just a minor point, in aviation altitude is measured in feet not metres.

[@enziogehrig9425]

I remember reading somewhere that one of the contributing factors of the crash was that Hill had his QNH setting wrong and was therefore flying lower on approach than his altimeter indicated. Apologies if this has been mentioned already.

[@mrrcassidy]

It makes you wonder what was going on in the tower that night. Airfield QNH is routinely called out and read back as part of the approach procedure - every time you land the aircraft. It's so important that it would be difficult for an experienced pilot like Hill to get that wrong, especially at night. It's second nature, like lowering the flaps or riding a bike. Hill's lack of attention to keeping his certificates current for both himself or the aircraft just handed the accident investigation board the perfect excuses to blame everything on the pilot.

[@karlbassett8485]

Coming into land it would have been QFE to display the height above the runway. QFE shows height above sea level, which isn't much use when you are trying to land.

[@craigie13]

I remember the night well, I was watching the Sci fi show UFO late at night when the TV cut away to NEWS FLASH. I literally burst into tears. I was 14 and a member of the Embassy Hill racing club.

[@mrkipling2201]

The Kobe Bryant fatal helicopter crash was a case of the pilot only being able to fly by VFR, yet he strayed into IFR only flight, because of the weather.

[@billpugh58]

It’s not IFR flight (many flights take place under IFR rules in VFR conditions, for instance a clear days flight in an airliner from Heathrow to Paris Orly is an IFR flight. Flying in cloud is flying in IMC - Instrument metrological conditions. Two different things. Inadvertent flight into IMC by inexperienced pilots is a major killer.

[@davidfreiboth1360]

Well done giving a layman's view of the difference between IFR and VFR.

[@LacasseEric]

Gilles Villeneuve was an helicopter pilot, and he piloted his aircraft just the way he drove his cars. In Gerald Donaldson's book about Villeneuve, there's a story about Gilles flying the helicopter so hard that the engine overheated. He turn the engine off, coming down with the rotor blades feathering down, and then he restarted the engine back up once it had cooled down enough.

[@philipjamesparsons]

That bloke was never going to die in bed. Zolder, was death by natural causes for him.

[@djh29971]

Typical Gilles. Reckless.

[@tonisiret5557]

I like Damon even more, if that's possible! A great & well-researched video 👌🏼👏🏼

[@markdavis2475]

I was living near Elstree at the time and remember this well. I knew who Graham Hill was. My Dad was pretty upset.

[@Phantom096]

Great video. Yes I also like aviation and Motor racing. 👍👏👏

[@gzk6nk]

Thanks for this. I know you're not an aviation guy but there was nothing incorrect in your assessment. I am a pilot and flew for 35 years, and a friend of mine was an Air Traffic Controller on duty at Luton that night - being on higher ground, Luton was fog free and Hill could have and should have diverted there. This isn't hindsight - it's just what he should have done in that weather as despite his ratings being out of date he presumably had the skills to fly an instrument approach into Luton using their ILS. Weather continues to be the biggest killer of light aircraft pilots and really that's down to a lot of factors, such as get-home-itis (so much more convenient to land at Elstree where his car was than end up miles away at Luton) but personality types is a big factor. Unlike you I'm no expert on motorsport but my impression of Hill is that he came from an era of, lets say, 'just go for it' rather than the considered professional approach which is and always has been a pre-requisite of anyone flying an aeroplane, and I suspect a pre-requisite of anyone driving an F1 car today. Home made let downs in IMC only end one way. Flying is not inherently dangerous, but it is totally unforgiving of foolishness or of taking it for granted. Maybe you'd get away with it a few times, but it will get you in the end. Thanks for the vid. Vince (a PPL and aerobatics pilot who saw quite a few mates fall by the wayside in my 35 years aviating).

[@AidanMillward]

I used to fly gliders and been in flight simulator since the 95 one. Might not be a full on qualified pilot but I know most of the terms. 😅

[@Minnigaff01]

The aircraft wasn't equipped with ILS. Have you access to the METAR at Luton at the time? (Unlikely I know!)

[@gzk6nk]

@@Minnigaff01 You don't need ILS if the airfield is VMC, as Luton was that night as I said in my post. GH just wanted to get into his home field. 'Gethomitis' is one of the biggest causes of GA accidents. This was no exception.

[@nigelsilverthorn9188]

Graham had strong connections with Colin Chapman having started his racing career as a mechanic with Lotus. Colin was an ardent Pilot and flew as much as possible, made convenient by locating Lotus at an old airfield. I can well imagine it was Colin that brought Graham into flying as well as F1, it is very sad they later both succumbed to aircraft incidents.

[@AidanMillward]

Chapman was at home when he had his fatal heart attack.

[@nigelsilverthorn9188]

yes, not sure how I got that mixed up :) All very sad in any case...

[@AidanMillward]

@@nigelsilverthorn9188 you might be thinking of Colin McRae

[@jwclapp1183]

Currency and proficiency are integral to being a safe pilot. You can’t be one without the other. It’s sad that a child learned the hard lesson of what happens when a pilot is not both.

[@andrewholt9332]

Mike Hawthorn Britains first ever F1 world champion won the title 1958 - Mike had a pilots license, he owned a Fairchild Argus and a Vega Gull, Mike used the Vega Gull to fly to races all through the 1950's 🏁

[@ThePot80]

That aircrat, G-AHET, was damaged beyond repair in a forced landing at Kirkby Trading Estate,near Liverpool on 2nd May 1960

[@andrewholt9332]

Thank you for the information. I did already know but thank you for taking the time to message me, I have a copy of the registration and owners log for both aircraft, are you into aircraft or Mike Hawthorn, I have been doing in depth research into Mike Hawthorns life and family for the past 5 years 🏁

[@jettrink7510]

Back in the day Road & Track F1 correspondent and writer Rob Walker was a close friend of Graham Hill

[@aviobrain]

There was a suggestion he was trying to use the Capital Radio transmitter as an NDB aid to getting in at Elstree....

[@Lotusvvc]

Hi Adrian. A very good video. I’m a pilot and also a motorsports fan - as well as being a fan of iconic British drivers such as Clark, Hill and latterly Brundle. Whilst Graham probably did make some bad decisions in the lead up to and during that flight I think that with a bit of humanity it is very easy to see how this tragedy unfolded. I think that it is fair to say that flying a plane when everything is going well is pretty straight forward and within the capability of many people - but when things start to go wrong you really do need to be able to call upon a very defensive mindset - I call it putting professionalism before pride. I wouldn’t want to imply any criticism of Graham because I do not know all the facts and it would be unpleasant to do so - but I think he lost what we call “situational awareness”. He did not seem to know where he was - particularly in relation to terrain. It is so hard to put your hands up and admit that you are unsure of your precise position and do something about it - i.e. climb steeply to be above MSA - because all your emotions are telling you to press on and wrestle with the problem - all will become clear again soon. I can drive a car reasonably well - but I couldn’t drive an F1 or even any other top level racing car with sufficient skill to keep myself safe or the people around me. I wish Graham had a professional pilot next to him that evening - he would have ended up safe and sound in Luton. I think that the self-confidence necessary to be a top level racing driver can actually be your downfall as a pilot - i.e. the Colin McRae helicopter crash. Anyway, just my tuppence worth in reaction to your well produced video and may Graham and his colleagues RIP and God Bless their surviving relatives and friends.

[@Lotusvvc]

Aidan - not Adrian - doh!

[@jacekatalakis8316]

It's always nagged at me why Graham didn't divert, though I do feel like, knowing what has happened since 1975 with get-there-itis, if that is partly what could have been going on with the flight, in that he wanted to get home and was so fixed on getting there he didn't want to divert (see AA1420 for a more recentish example also to do with very questionable weather)Lauda Air 004 is one of those incidents that make people go hang on, this can actually happen. ANd three years later Boeing would try to initially pin the blame for the 737's rudder servo issues on the pilots EDIT: To explain get get-there-itis, it's also known as fixation bias which is what it sounds like, you are so fixated on doing something, or going somewhere, that you continue with it no matter what. In Graham's case, having read the accident report, I don't think the unregistered plane was part of it. Spatial disorientation and get-there-itis are what I believe caused it, you had him flying at night, in thick fog, and being disoriented then led off track where he was. THe plane was set up for landing, but in the wrong place. I do think the third theory the AIB came up with, that Hill thought he was flying one route but he was actually further away than he thought, is the most likely cause.

[@alexjenner1108]

I've heard it called continuation bias or completion bias, an unconscious bias to continue with the existing plan, even when the situation has changed from when the original plan was made.

[@jacekatalakis8316]

That's the one, there's been many, many crashes caused by it both private and comercial aircraft@@alexjenner1108

[@windronner1]

Excellent production. Great driver

[@AmandaJayne46]

Nice one fella, beautiful report 💋

[@TransmogPresents]

Understood you cant list all race driver Pilots. But i will take the opportunity as a fan to reminisce about Al Holbert, probably the greatest race driver never remembered by anyone. 5 time IMSA champion, 2 time Daytona 24 winner, 3 time 24 hours of Le Mans winner, 49 career IMSA wins. Died September 30th 1988 in Ohio while piloting his Piper PA-60, at age 41.

[@TheHappyRacket]

This is so well written and has taught me something I never knew. Thanks and respect

[@noelwilde]

Really enjoyed this video. Will subscribe. Many thanks.

[@worldofrandometry6912]

A terrible tragedy, but sometimes people get a bit too cocky and think they can do anything. Colin McCrae comes to mind with his gung ho flying manoeuvres and invalid helicopter licence. Sadly these two sportsmen took other people's lives due to their recklessness.

[@CrewGuyPJ]

Great video and some info post crash many didnt know. Only thing, the "Triple" was Indy 500, Lemans and WDC. Monaco never had anything to do with it..thats revisionist history.

[@markotango54]

Great video, very well researched and informative.

[@maxflight777]

Aiden, as a pilot .. you described this well .

[@flyinghedgehog3833]

Did my twin rating on an Aztec...first job Flying Eye from Elstree.,that was special VFR...unofficial approach from lambourne VOR...crossing railway line ..count to three..no papi in sight..divert to Luton...retired 747.

[@markdavies5115]

Wasn't there a suggestion that he'd used capital radio which unfortunately had two transmitter sites.

[@TheLincolnshireFlyer]

Very interesting and well explained video. I saw the name Andy Saunders in the Patrons list. I wonder if it is the well known and published historian (aviation) 🤔 I’m a keen aviator as well as motorsport enthusiast. Lots more aviation linked to motorsport please 😊

[@AidanMillward]

I’ve done the Lauda one if that takes your fancy.

[@TheLincolnshireFlyer]

@@AidanMillward it does. I’ll look for that now.

[@glasair38sr]

When that temp & dew point converge, you’re in for a bad, bad day regardless of rating. Temp = dew point .= fog. Glasair N38SR Commercial / multi / instrument rated.