Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax I | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

The airplane departed RAF Linton-on-Ouse at 2325LT on June 15 on an operation to Hanover. Over the target area, it was badly shot about by a German fighter but the crew was able to return to England and diverted to RAF Bircham Newton for an emergency landing. It crashed upon landing at RAF Bircham Newton and was damaged beyond repair. There were no casualties.
Crew:
F/O J. W. Murray,
Sgt L. Martin,
P/O D. S. S. Wilkerson,
Sgt T. R. Nixon,
Sgt J. Constable,
Sgt D. J. Mennie,
Sgt J. Colgan.

Probable cause:

Damaged by a German fighter.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax I at RAF Middleton Saint George

Date & Time: Jun 15, 1941

Type of aircraft:

Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax I

Operator:

Registration:

L9514

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Training

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Middleton St George - Middleton St George

Location:

Middleton St George AFB

Durham

Country:

United Kingdom

Region:

Europe

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane was engaged in a training exercise at RAF Middleton Saint George. After touchdown on the secondary runway, it went out of control and veered off runway to the right. While contacting soft ground, the right main gear collapsed and the airplane came to rest. There were no casualties among the crew.
Crew:
P/O A. E. Lewin.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax I at RAF Linton-on-Ouse

Date & Time: Jun 13, 1941 at 0030 LT

Type of aircraft:

Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax I

Operator:

Registration:

L9498

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Bombing

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Linton-on-Ouse - Linton-on-Ouse

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane departed RAF Linton-on-Ouse at 2237LT on June 12 on an operation to Hüls. While returning to base the following night, it overshot the runway and crashed. All seven crew members were injured.
Crew:
Sgt L. W. Bovington,
Sgt Meredith,
P/O G. A. Eperon,
Sgt Hammond,
Sgt Rudlin,
Sgt Coleman,
Sgt Willingham.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax I at RAF Linton-on-Ouse

Date & Time: Apr 16, 1941

Type of aircraft:

Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax I

Operator:

Registration:

L9493

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Bombing

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Linton-on-Ouse - Linton-on-Ouse

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane departed RAF Linton-on-Ouse at 2235LT on April 15 on an operation to Kiel. Over the target area, it was hit by enemy fire and both left engines were damaged. While returning to base the following night, the airplane crash landed against a tree and came to rest at Tollerton, near the airfield. All seven crew members were rescued, among them two were slightly injured.
Crew:
Sgt E. R. E. Hewlett,
Sgt W. Broadbent,
Sgt F. Stewart,
Sgt Lashbrook,
Sgt Robbins,
Sgt Somerville,
Sgt Muir.

Probable cause:

Damaged by enemy fire over the target area.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax I in Normandy: 4 killed

Date & Time: Mar 10, 1941 at 2240 LT

Type of aircraft:

Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax I

Operator:

Registration:

L9489

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Linton-on-Ouse - Linton-on-Ouse

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane departed RAF Linton-on-Ouse at 1908LT on an operation to Le Havre. While returning to base in the evening, it was mistakenly shot down by an Allied night fighter and crashed in Normandy. Four crew members were killed and two others were injured.
Crew:
S/L P. A. Gilchrist, pilot,
Sgt Reginald Lucas, pilot, †
P/O Edward Rolfe Arnold, observer, †
Sgt Stanley Broadhurst, wireless operator, †
P/O Albert Edward Cooper, air gunner, †
Sgt A. G. Aedy.

Probable cause:

Mistakenly shot down by friendly fire.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax I in Baldersby Saint James: 6 killed

Date & Time: Jan 13, 1941 at 1153 LT

Type of aircraft:

Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax I

Operator:

Registration:

L9487

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Test

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Linton-on-Ouse - Linton-on-Ouse

Location:

Baldersby Saint James

North Yorkshire

Country:

United Kingdom

Region:

Europe

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane departed RAF Linton-on-Ouse at 1120LT for a fuel consumption test and a measured climb to 12,000 feet. Shortly before noon, while cruising at an altitude of 8,000 feet with its undercarriage down, the bomber was seen with trailing smoke and flames. It entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed in an open field located in Howefield House, near Baldersby St James. All six crew members were killed.
Crew:
F/Lt Michael Thomas Gibson Henry, pilot,
P/O Leslie Joseph McDonald, pilot,
Sgt John Naoier Hall, observer,
Sgt Francis Leslie Plowman, flight engineer,
Sgt Anthony Charles Henry Reid Russell, wireless operator and air gunner,
Sgt William Charles Browne Jesse, wireless operator and air gunner.

Probable cause:

The cause of the fire was blamed on the failure of groundcrew at Linton on Ouse to put the fuel-filler cap back on one of the port fuel tanks after it had been refuelled. The vapour seen behind the port wing would also certainly have been fuel, which, by the time it ignited had soaked into the tail section of the aircraft. Also of note is that the port outer engine had been suffering trouble since its delivery. It suffered a coolant leak on 3 December 1940 which resulted in a new radiator being fitted and then the same engine showed low oil pressure, it was run-up on 24 December 1940 and a new oil relief valve had to be fitted. Following the crash all the engines were removed and taken away for inspection and this engine was found to have suffered an oil shortage in the air prior to the crash, part of the crankshaft had broken causing the failure of the engine. Further investigation of other early Halifaxes found that this was a design problem. When full of fuel and in a tail-down position the oil pumps on the outer engines were above the oil level. This oil system was later changed to stop the problem re-occuring. Why the undercarriage had droppped or been lowered is not known.