Avro 652 Anson

The aircraft and crew were stationed at RAF Halfpenny Green to the south west of Wolverhampton. During the evening of the 8th November 1943 to crew of five took off for a night navigation exercise. The route was to have covered ~320 miles passing over of close to the following points Base - Rhyl - Conwy - Douglas - Maughold Head - Chetton - Base. A short way into the flight the crew received a QDM from RAF Tilstock of 0500 with the location of the aircraft being assumed to be in the area of 4 miles NW of Shawbury roughly on course for Rhyl. It was next plotted by the Royal Observer Corps on a route that appeared to be a direct track from Wrexham to Conwy. A direct track from the Wrexham area to Conwy would not normally have taken an aircraft into Snowdonia, but on the night there was a 15 mph wind blowing from west north west which the Court of Inquiry remarked on as "if correction for drift was not taken the aircraft would drift south of the second turning point". At around 20:30 the ROC observed a fire near Carnedd Dafydd, shortly before this the aircraft while flying in a north westerly direction had impacted the upper slopes of Pen yr Ole Wen. The aircraft's engines had been torn off and rolled almost 1000 feet down the mountain and the fuel tanks had ruptured with their contents igniting. The fuselage was destroyed but was not burnt by the fire.
Crew (3rd AFU):
Sgt Ernest Andrew Hoagg, pilot,
Sgt John Hedgley Lewis, navigator,
Sgt William Gavin, bomb aimer,
Sgt Leslie John Hill, wireless operator and air gunner,
Sgt Douglas John Roberts, wireless operator and air gunner.
Source: http://www.peakdistrictaircrashes.co.uk/pages/wales/walesn9855.htm

The aircraft was engaged in a Ground Controlled Interception exercise and was carrying two passengers and a crew of two. After take off, while climbing, the pilot attempted a turn to the left when the aircraft collided with a RAF Miles Master registered EM821 and carrying a crew of two as well. Following the collision, both aircraft dove into the ground and crashed in a field and were destroyed. All six occupants on both aircraft were killed.
Anson's crew:
P/O John Rothwell, pilot,
F/Sgt Clement James Walsh, pilot.
Anson's passengers:
F/Lt Verdun Frederick McDonald,
Cpl Lawrence Allen Manners.
Master's crew:
F/O James Orville Cross, pilot,
F/Sgt Denis Frank Carter, pilot.
Source: http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=144970

On touchdown at RAF Limavady, an undercarriage collapsed. The aircraft slid on runway before coming to rest. All five crew members were unhurt while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

The aircraft left RAF Squires Gate at approx 1940LT to carry out a night non-operational navigation B3 exercise. It crashed at 2115LT hours in Ballycastle, County Antrim, North Ireland. Two of the crew were killed and two injured. The aircraft was being flown by Flying Officer Cooper and he attempted a forced-landing, but struck a tree before crashing into a house in Drumavoley Road, Glenxhesk, Ballycastle, which at the time was owned by Charles Blaney. Mr Blaney’s wife and their five children were at home as was a young girl from County Donegal, 22 year old Josephine McGroarty, who was staying there at the time. She was standing outside the house with her boyfriend John Greer from Ballycastle. John was thrown clear as the aircraft came sliding into a fatal impact with the house. Josephine McGroarty was tragically killed as were two of those on board the aircraft. One of these was a high-ranking free-Polish officer, Wing Commander Heller, who was based at Jurby in the Isle of Man. The pilot, Flying Officer Cooper, was thrown from the aircraft and he landed in the children’s room, none of whom miraculously were injured, nor were the Blaneys themselves. Wing Commander Heller was later buried in Movilla cemetery, Newtownards, Co Down. The Pilot who survived the crash, later stated; “On the last leg of the exercise, the aircraft was flying at 2,400 feet. It was however eleven miles to the starboard of track, a fact not known to the crew. I decided to descend to 2,000 feet to avoid another aircraft. We approached from the downwind side of the mountain, and the wind was 150 degrees at 35/40 kms per hour. There would have been an extensively strong down draft as we approached the mountainside. After the aircraft struck Knockgavd, SOS procedures were carried out and preparations were made for a ditching.”
Crew:
F/O J. G. Cooper, pilot,
W/Cdr W. R. Heiler, navigator, †
F/Lt J. H. Dunn, navigator,
W/O E. G. Clarke, wireless operator and air gunner. †
Source:
http://www.secondworldwarni.org/details.aspx?id=2&pagerecordid=1079&themeid=2

The aircraft took off on a training flight from RAF Millom, Cumberland. At Whitehaven, about 30 miles to the north, the plane suffered structural failure leading to a crash and the loss of all five aircrew. It was subsequently found that there was an inherent defect in the structure, which would have been undetectable beforehand, and all similar aircraft were grounded for a time until reinforcement work was carried out to prevent a recurrence.
Crew (2nd AFU):
F/O Henry Joseph O’Gara,
Sgt Vincent James Dunnigan,
Sgt Thomas Inman,
Sgt Cyril Johnson,
Sgt Rene Harold Murphy.
Source: http://2ndww.blogspot.co.uk/2008_09_01_archive.html

The crew left RAF Bishops Court for a night training exercise. While flying over the north of Wales by night and marginal weather conditions, the aircraft hit the east slope of Mt Mynydd Perfedd and was destroyed. All four crew members were killed.
Crew (7th AOS):
Sgt John George Shepherd, pilot,
Sgt Edwin John Keightley, wireless operator and air gunner,
LAC John Chrystal, navigator,
LAC John Thomas Key, navigator.

During a training flight, the twin-engine aircraft went out of control and crashed into the Irish sea off RAF Millom. All five crew members were killed.
Crew (2nd AFU):
Sgt D. S. W. Deane, pilot,
P/O L. S. Gibson, flight engineer,
Sgt D. Clayton, wireless operator,
Sgt W. Dowling, wireless operator,
Sgt W. B. Bain, navigator.

The crew was performing a gunnery exercise from RAF Mona. While flying along the coast, the plane tried to fly between the shore and a large hopper which linked the Granite Quarry on the Slopes of Gyrn Ddu. This quarry was linked to a jetty by a transporter cable to support the cars from the mine workings above the village. The Anson flew into the cable, went out of control and crashed into the sea 100 yards offshore. Three crew members were killed while three others were injured.
Crew (3rd AGS):
Sgt R. W. Eastman,
F/O Harold Stevens, pilot, †
Sgt Ivor Ormondroyd, air gunner,
Sgt T. H. Jeffs, air gunner, †
Ronald Albert Cashen, †
John White.
Source: http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=25175

While flying in poor weather conditions, the twin engine aircraft hit the southeast slope of Mt Pigeon House located 10 miles west of Ulladulla. All three crew members were killed.
Crew (73rd Squadron):
F/Sgt C. D. Robertson, pilot,
F/Sgt K. A. Richards,
F/Sgt B. V. Higgins.

While cruising at its assigned altitude, the twin engine aircraft broke in mid air and crashed in a farmland located in Caernarfon. All four occupants, two pilots and two ATC cadets, were killed.
Crew (9th AFU):
P/O Laurence A. Walker, pilot,
Sgt James Winchester, wireless operator.
Passengers:
Geoffrey A. Stapleton,
Geoffrey Foulkes.