On Wednesday 21 December 1994 a Phoenix Aviation aircraft used for shipping live exports, hit the ground and burst into flames in Binley Woods, Willenhall - just 30 yards from houses. The crash killed the 3 Algerian crew and 2 British animal handlers on board. As it fell from the sky, the plane clipped the roofs of 2 houses and brought down an electricity pylon but nobody on the ground was injured. Local residents came out their houses and tried to rescue any survivors but were beaten back by the flames.

Tail section of the crashed plane being removed by a crane

The Boeing 737 was returning from Amsterdam after delivering 190 calves in the third of five scheduled flights that day! The 2 stockmen killed were Andrew Yates aged 22 from Rugby and Adrian Sharp 31 from Wakefield.

Wreckage in the woods

Jill Phipps commented to the press, "This whole disaster is down to Barrett Jolley's greed. If he had not been exporting live animals, this plane would not have been in Coventry. The only people I feel sorry for are the families whose relatives died. I don't feel sorry for the dead people, they were just as guilty as Barrett Jolley. If he was not trying to get rich quick this would never have happened. He is a moral coward. The only good thing to come out of this, is that thousands of calves will now not be shipped over to Holland in open graves this Christmas".

The Phoenix flights from Coventry airport were temporararily suspended for safety reasons. A subsequent investigation reveals Phoenix Aviation have an appalling track record on safety and that their aircraft break many of the air safety regulations.

It also emerged that the plane flew in the UK illegally, without Department of Transport permission!!

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