How did the first Avro Baby crash?

Short answer

The Avro Baby prototype first flew on 30 April 1919 from Avro's airfield at Hamble. Two minutes into the flight it crashed on the nearby bank due to a piloting error. The second prototype flew successfully on 31 May 1919.

Published: November 4, 2026 · Updated: November 4, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

Avro Baby 3 view Les Ailes September 1, 1921

The flight of 30 April 1919

The Avro Baby made its first outing on 30 April 1919 from Avro's airfield at Hamble. The flight ended after two minutes: the prototype crashed on the bank next to the field due to a piloting error.

The second prototype

The second prototype flew successfully on 31 May 1919. On 31 May 1920, a non-stop flight from Croydon to Turin was completed in 9 hours and 30 minutes, a distance of 655 mi (1,050 km). It also achieved second place in the handicap category of the Hendon Aerial Derby.

The flights that made the type famous

On 11 April 1921, a Baby set a new Australian distance record by flying non-stop from Sydney to Bundaberg, 800 mi (1,288 km), in 8 hours and 40 minutes. In June 1922, another Baby made the first flight between London and Moscow: the Russian Gwaiter picked up his machine at Hamble and flew it back to his country. Hinkler's Baby is preserved at the Hinkler Hall of Aviation in Bundaberg.