Crash of a Martin 187 Baltimore V off Kumköy: 3 killed

Date & Time:
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
5346
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
While performing a training flight, the twin engine aircraft crashed in unknown circumstances into the Black Sea, about 3 km off Kumköy. All three crew members were killed.

Crash of a Douglas C-47B-45-DK in Leon Springs: 2 killed

Date & Time:
Operator:
Registration:
45-0954
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Kelly - Kelly
MSN:
16957/34217
YOM:
1945
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Circumstances:
Control was lost in flight following a structural failure. The aircraft dove into the ground and crashed in a field located 2.5 miles east of Leon Springs. Both pilots were killed.
Probable cause:
Structural failure.

Crash of a Boeing B-29-100-BW Superfortress near Kirtland AFB: 13 killed

Date & Time:
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
45-21854
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Kirtland - Kirtland
MSN:
13748
YOM:
1945
Crew on board:
13
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
13
Circumstances:
Three minutes after takeoff from runway 08 at Kirtland AFB, while in initial climb, the heavy bomber went out of control and crashed in a huge explosion on a mountain slope located near Sandia, about 5,7 miles east of the airbase. The aircraft was totally destroyed and all 13 crew members were killed. Detonators were installed in the bomb on board the aircraft. The bomb case was demolished ans some high explosive (HE) material burned in the gasoline fire. Other pieces of unburned HE were scattered throughout the wreckage. Four spare detonators in their carrying case were recovered undamaged. There were no contamination or recovery problems. The recovered components of the weapon were returned to the Atomic Energy Commission. Both the weapon and the capsule of nuclear material were on board the aircraft but the capsule was not inserted for safety reasons.

Crash of a Vickers 619 Wellington X in Horam: 4 killed

Date & Time:
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
NC615
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Middleton Saint George - Middleton Saint George
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
The aircraft left RAF Middleton Saint George at 1845LT on a night navigation exercice. At 2137LT, the crew informed ground that the mission was uneventful until this time. Twenty-three minutes later, the aircraft went into a dive. At an altitude of 1,000 feet, it partially disintegrated and eventually crashed in a pasture. All four crew members were killed.
Crew:
S. J. Murdoch, pilot,
F/Lt W. A. Ryde, navigator,
F/Lt H. Seiman, navigator,
Sig A. E. Bazen.
Probable cause:
The aircraft broke in flight due to exceptional aerodynamic and other stresses.

Crash of a Vickers 619 Wellington X in RAF Hullavington: 4 killed

Date & Time:
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
LN819
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Hullavington - Hullavington
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
The crew was engaged in a local training sortie in RAF Hullavington. Shortly after takeoff, while in initial climb by night, the pilot in command informed ground that an engine failed and completed a turn to join the circuit when control was lost. The aircraft dove into the ground and crashed in a field. All four crew members were killed.
Probable cause:
Engine failure.

Crash of a Douglas C-47B-20-DK near Nagoya: 3 killed

Date & Time:
Operator:
Registration:
43-49915
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Schedule:
Iwakuni – Komaki
MSN:
15731/27176
YOM:
1945
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
The crew was approaching Komaki AFB in Nagoya after a training sortie. While cruising by night, the aircraft crashed in a mountain area located 42 km southeast of the airbase. A crew member was seriously injured while three other occupants were killed.

Crash of a Boeing B-50A-10-BO Superfortress near Hyder: 12 killed

Date & Time:
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
46-020
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Schedule:
Davis-Monthan - Davis-Monthan
MSN:
15740
YOM:
1947
Location:
Crew on board:
14
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
12
Circumstances:
The heavy bomber departed Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson at 0615LT for a routine training mission that involved navigation, aerial refueling and camera gunnery training. After transferring 870 gallons of fuel to a KB-29 over Yuma, the crew pressurized the cabin and began to climb to 20,000 feet. While climbing through 17,000 feet, at about 0815LT, the master fire warning light suddenly illuminated on the pilot's instrument panel as the right scanner simultaneously reported a fire streaming from Number 3 engine. There were three successive minor explosions that rolled the bomber onto a 45 degree angle right bank. With the right wing engulfed in flames, the ship then fell into a steep right turn and began to disintegrate. As the bomber broke apart in the sky, only two men of the crew of fourteen were able to escape, the copilot Lt William Gentry and the bombardier, Captain John Lee. The wreckage was spread over a two-mile area of remote desert terrain.
Source: http://www.aircraftarchaeology.com/b50superfortress.html
Probable cause:
The investigation disclosed that Engine Number 3 had been replaced the prior day. It was determined that the cause of the fire was from the exhaust clamp that failed on Engine Number 3, and allowed hot exhaust gas to ignite fuel which had seeped past the fire seal into the engine section. The source of the fuel was likely from the loose-fitting main fuel line at the inlet side of the engine-driven fuel pump.

Crash of an Avro 652 Anson C.19 in Aylesbury: 6 killed

Date & Time:
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
TX187
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Halton - Halton
Region:
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Circumstances:
The crew was engaged in a local training sortie in RAF Halton. While approaching the airbase from the northwest with one engine inoperative, the aircraft stalled from a height of 50 feet and crashed in a near vertical attitude in a field located one mile northwest of Aylesbury. All six occupants were killed.
W/Cdr Richard James Millet Bangay, pilot,
Cpl Cyril Alan Parfett,
AC1 G. A. Richardson,
AC1 J. Montgomery,
AC1 M. G. Prince,
AC2 J. Hendry.

Crash of an Avro 694 Lincoln B.2 in RAF Hemswell: 5 killed

Date & Time:
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
RF472
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Hemswell - Hemswell
Region:
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
The crew was engaged in a night training sortie in RAF Hemswell, Lincolnshire. On final approach, the pilot reported that the Blind Approach Beam System (BABS) was out of service. Despite a poor visibility, he continued the approach and overshot the runway went control was lost. The aircraft overturned and crashed in flames in a field. Five crew members were killed while the sixth occupant was seriously injured.
Crew (100th Squadron):
M. A. C. Brown, pilot, †
W. P. Edgar, flight engineer, †
T. W. Brayshaw, navigator, †
B.T. Newland, navigator,
A. W. Rolfe, signaller, †
G. Sherratt, air gunner. †

Crash of an Avro 652 Anson XI in RAF Colerne

Date & Time:
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
PH620
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Colerne - Colerne
Region:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The crew was engaged in a local training sortie in RAF Colerne. On final approach, an engine failed. The aircraft stalled and crashed in a field short of runway threshold. All three crew members were injured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
Probable cause:
Engine failure.