All United Kingdom | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

Few minutes after takeoff from Gibraltar, the airplane suffered an engine failure. The crew ditched the airplane some 30 km off Gibraltar. All four crew members were rescued and the airplane sank and was lost.

Probable cause:

Engine failure in flight.

Crash of a Consolidated PBY-1 Catalina off Gibraltar: 2 killed

Date & Time: Jun 7, 1941

Type of aircraft:

Consolidated PBY Catalina

Operator:

Registration:

W8407

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Survey / Patrol / Reconnaissance

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

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Crashed in unknown circumstances into the sea off Gibraltar while on a maritime patrol flight. Two crew members were killed and five others were rescued.
Crew:
F/Sgt James Hogarth Adamson, †
F/Lt Greville Vincent Nicholls, †
Sgt A. L. Mahon,
Sgt M. Joy,
Sgt D. H. Button,
LAC N. L. Holmes,
LAC R. C. Griffiths.

Crash of an Armstrong Whitworth AW.38 Whitley V into The Wash: 3 killed

Date & Time: Dec 4, 1940 at 1540 LT

Type of aircraft:

Armstrong Whitworth AW.38 Whitley

Operator:

Registration:

N1485

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Bombing

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Dishforth - Dishforth

MSN:

1625

YOM:

1939

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The airplane departed RAF Dishforth at 1636LT on December 13 on an operation to Kiel. While returning to base the following night, it crashed in unknown circumstances into The Wash. Three crew members were killed and two others were rescued.
Crew:
Sgt Dennis Angell, pilot, †
Sgt Frank Thomas Allcock, wireless operator, †
P/O Michael Lomax Stedman, †
Sgt F. Waldren,
Sgt E. A: Grunsell.

Crash of a Martin 167 Maryland off Gibraltar: 4 killed

Date & Time: Jun 30, 1940 at 1700 LT

Type of aircraft:

Martin 167 Maryland

Operator:

Registration:

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Casablanca - Gibraltar

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The airplane departed Casablanca on a flight to Gibraltar, carrying four crew members. After it landed in El Polo Airfield in Campamento, on the Spanish territory, the crew realized he was not in Gibraltar, took off and headed south. On approach to Gibraltar, the aircraft was shot down by ground fire and crashed into the sea. All four crew members were killed.
Crew:
Cpt Jacques Le Forestier de Vendeuvre,
Lt Jean-Pierre Berger,
Lt Bertrand Jochaud du Plessis,
Lt Robert Weill.

Crash of a Supermarine Walrus off United Kingdom

Date & Time: Nov 10, 1938

Type of aircraft:

Supermarine Walrus

Operator:

Registration:

L2256

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Military

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Location:

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Crashed while landing on sea off the British coast. The crew was performing a training flight and elected to land near 'HMS Sheffield's'. The crew fate is unknown and the float plane capsized.

Probable cause:

The crew forgot to retract the landing gear while trying to land on sea.

Crash of a Dornier Do J Wal off Gibraltar: 4 killed

Date & Time: Jul 25, 1936

Type of aircraft:

Dornier Do J Wal

Operator:

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Survey / Patrol / Reconnaissance

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Location:

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The float plane was engaged in a maritime patrol flight over the Alboran Sea when it was shot down by the pilot of a Spanish National Nieuport 52 and crashed into the sea off Gibraltar. All four crew members were killed.

Crash of a Fairey IIIF off Gibraltar: 1 killed

Date & Time: Mar 5, 1936

Type of aircraft:

Fairey III

Operator:

Registration:

S1404

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Location:

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After being catapulted from the 'HMS Furious', the single engine airplane crashed into the sea off Gibraltar. A crew member was killed and two others were rescued.

Crash of an Avro 504N in North Yorkshire

Date & Time: Feb 23, 1936

Type of aircraft:

Avro 504

Operator:

Registration:

K1044

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Thornaby - Thornaby

MSN:

K1044

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The pilot lost his orientation while cruising in foggy conditions and was unable to locate the Thornaby Airfield. He attempted to make an emergency landing in a bog when the airplane hit the ground and came to rest upside down, somewhere in North Yorkshire (the exact location is unknown). The pilot William Vernon Lewis Spendlove (from the 608th Squadron based at RAF Thornaby) was uninjured and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Crash of a Fokker F7b/3m off United Kingdom

Date & Time: Sep 4, 1929

Type of aircraft:

Fokker F7

Operator:

Andrew Paton Holt

Registration:

G-EBZJ

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Private

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

MSN:

5087

YOM:

1928

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The airplane was lost without trace in sea off United Kingdom. No trace of the aircraft nor the pilot was ever found.

Crash of a Breguet 14A.2 off Gibraltar: 2 killed

Date & Time: Feb 15, 1921

Type of aircraft:

Breguet 14

Operator:

Registration:

F-ALBA

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Postal (mail)

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

MSN:

5220/8220.2

YOM:

1920

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The crew was performing a mail flight to Casablanca when he encountered unfavorable weather conditions while approaching Gibraltar. The aircraft went out of control and crashed in the sea. SAR operations were suspended after few days as no trace of the aircraft nor the crew was found. Both crew were presumed dead.
Crew:
Henri Mérel, pilot
Maxime Garrigue, mechanic.