In 1936 , Cierva was killed in the Croydon KLM airliner accident when the aircraft in which he was a passenger crashed after taking off in fog . From 1936 to 1939 James Allan Jamieson Bennett was Chief Technical Officer of the company . Dr. Bennett carried through with Cierva 's intention to offer the Royal Navy a gyrodyne , which Cierva had argued would be simpler , more reliable and efficient than the proposed helicopter . Bennett 's design , the C. 41 , was tendered to the Air Ministry ( Specification S. 22/38 ) but preliminary work was abandoned with the outbreak of World War II . Bennett joined Fairey Aviation in 1945 , where he led the development of the Fairey FB-1 Gyrodyne
Croydon KLM airliner accident
1936 KLM Croydon accident
Cierva Autogiro Company