Vickers 417 Wellington III

On 26th July 1946 110 (City of York) ATC Squadron were holding their annual summer camp at the Central Gunnery School (CGS) at Leconfield. As part of their camp the Cadets were being allowed to be taken as passengers on training flights the CGS were undertaking. There is a suggestion that more than one Wellington was being used for this but if this was so then the take-off times were staggered and their flights did not interrupt or engage with each other. The Wellington concerned in this incident had suffered an engine malfunction prior to take-off and the two cadets already down to have a flight on this aircraft were allocated to a different aircraft to have their trip. The faulty aircraft was soon repaired and two further cadets would be allowed to go up in this original aircraft for what become the ill-fated flight. The ill-fated flight finally took off with a pilot and two cadets on board at around 1400LT, they flew northwards and towards the North Yorkshire Moors. The pilot of the Wellington carried out a Bomber Affiliation training exercise with other aircraft, the Wellington was being subjected to a number of dummy attacks by two Spitfires. It was during one of these attacks and twenty five minutes into the flight that tragedy struck at 1420LT; one of the Spitfires was making a head-on attack on the Wellington when the pilot of the Spitfire misjudged the distance between the two aircraft. The two aircraft collided head on more or less directly over the village of Appleton-le-Moors. The Wellington partly broke up in the air, with parts being scattered across the main street in Appleton le Moors and on houses in the village. Both aircraft, including the main section of this Wellington came down in flames on and near the village football field. There would be no survivors. At the inquest to their deaths, the Coroner, Mr R K Smith gave a verdict of "death by misadventure".
Crew:
W/O Henryk Szwedowski, pilot.
Passengers:
Cadet William Anthony Lain,
Cadet Robert Hall.
Source:
http://www.yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk/aircraft/planes/46-50/bj884.html

At 1535LT on 24th July 1946 this aircraft took off from Leconfield airfield for its crew to carry out a fighter affiliation exercise with a Spitfire (Spitfire TD236, of "F" Flight piloted by S/Ldr Leonard A Wood). The aircraft flew in a northerly direction, met up with the Spitfire over Driffield and then, owing to low cloud, the exercises were carried out at 10,000 feet over the Scarborough area. On board the Wellington was a pilot, a gunnery instructor and three trainee air gunners. During the exercise the Wellington was practicing taking evasive action when attacked by the fighter, it was thought that the pilot of the Wellington was making such a turn downwards, believed to have been the last of the exercise, but immediately after the last attack the Wellington went into a near vertical dive from between 6,000 and 7,000 feet from which it did not recover. At 1645LT the aircraft crashed into the grounds of Wykeham Abbey and while not catching fire it disintegrated on impact creating a large crater. All five on board stood no chance, they were killed instantly and the body of one of the crew was never found. The list or airmen below shows their trades as CWGC give. The resulting crash investigation reported that the aircraft had been reported as being nose-heavy in the weeks leading up to the crash but it was checked but was passed as serviceable on the day of this crash. The investigation listed a number of previous incidents when the aircraft had been inspected. It had been used in the prototype bouncing bomb trials and had its bomb doors removed for this but was later converted back to a "normal" Wellington and on 1st December 1943 repairs were completed at Vickers factory, Weybridge. On 17th July 1946 it was test flown and rear doors found locked up. A day later on 18th July 1946 it was test flown and the elevator trim for level flight was found incorrectly set, the cables were adjusted for correct movement. On 23rd July 1946 it was flown by F/Lt Meikle, who reported the aircraft nose heavy and the port engine was running slow. Extra ballast was added and the port engine revs were adjusted. On 24th July 1946 it was flown by W/O Schwedoski, who reported aircraft was satisfactory (he would be killed soon after in a crash at Appleton le Moors just a few days after this incident at Wykeham) but later that day the fatal crash at Wykeham occurred.
Crew:
W/O Roland Harrison, pilot,
F/Lt John Christopher Haldon, air gunner,
W/O Frederick Charles Stiff, air gunner,
F/Sgt Peter Ingram, air gunner,
W/O John Forest Armstrong, wireless operator and engineer.
Source:
http://www.yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk/aircraft/planes/ryedale/bj895.html

While performing a training mission with several others aircraft, the Wellington collided with a RAF Spitfire, dove into the ground and crashed in a prairie. All six crew members were killed. The fate of the Spitfire and its pilot remains unknown.

The crew was engaged in a training exercise on behalf of the 30th OTU. En route, the aircraft crashed in unknown circumstances in Whernside, near Ingleton. A young sergeant was seriously injured while all six other occupants were killed.
Crew:
F/O Ernest Malcolm Barrett, pilot, †
F/L Edward Alderson, copilot, †
Sgt Philip Edwin Lomas, navigator, †
F/O Robert Gerald Campbell Brodie, bombardier, †
Sgt Ronald Charles Holmwood, wireless operator, †
Sgt Norman Skirrow, wireless operator, air gunner, †
Sgt Joseph Marks, wireless operator, air gunner.

Crew was performing a night training flight for the 27th OTU. En route, the aircraft went out of control and crashed in a field located in Smerrill Farm, Gloucestershire. All six crew members were killed.

The crew left RAF Little Horwood on a night training bombing exercise. As the bomb sight was defective, the exercise was aborted and the captain decided to return to RAF Little Horwood. During the final approach completed by night, the aircraft crashed on several houses located in the village of Winslow, less than one mile short of runway. Four crew members were killed as well as 13 people in the houses, among them 5 children. The radio navigator, aged 19, was the only survivor.
Crew (26th OTU):
Sgt Wilfred Davies, pilot, †
Sgt Jeffrey Harrington, radio navigator,
Sgt Valentine Jack McKeon, wireless operator and air gunner, †
Sgt John Sowter, bomb aimer, †
F/Sgt Clive Fietz. †
Civilians killed:
Thomas Cox,
Tom Paintin and his son Donald,
William and Nora Hawkins,
Stephen and Doris Mullis and their children Terence and Kathleen,
Israel and Annie Goldberg, their daughter Lottie Hoberman and her son Victor.
Source: http://www.winslow-history.org.uk/twentiethc-aircrash.shtm

The crew left RAF Seighford at 0450LT on a training exercise. One hour into the flight, a loss of power on one or more engine forced the captain to attempt an emergency landing. The aircraft landed in a prairie in Newhaven but after touchdown, the aircraft hit successively a hedge and a wall before coming to rest in flames. Three crew members were killed while two others were seriously injured.
Crew (30th OTU):
Sgt Ronald Albert Jones, pilot,
Sgt John Scott Spencer, navigator,
Sgt Gilbert Kenneth Parsons, bomb aimer,
F/Sgt J. Douglas, air gunner,
F/Sgt R. J. Perrin, wireless operator.

The aircraft took off during the mid-morning of the 15th February 1943 from Wellesbourne Mountford near Stratford upon Avon for a cross country flight. At just after 1300LT the aircraft descended out of bad weather (possibly due to icing) and became enveloped in a snow storm, shortly afterwards the aircraft crashed, seemingly out of control, with a steep nose down attitude near to Peakshole Water. The aircraft slide for a short distance, crossing the river and striking a large embankment on the other side where the aircraft was completely destroyed.
Crew (22nd OTU):
Sgt John Douglas Kester, pilot,
Sgt Richard Foote Cairns, navigator,
Sgt William James Hackett, air gunner,
Sgt Bernard Elliott Wilkinson, air gunner,
Sgt William Arthur Billy Marwood, wireless operator and air gunner.
Source & photo:
http://www.peakdistrictaircrashes.co.uk/pages/peakdistrict/peakdistricthf613.htm

The crew of this Wellington christened 'A for Apple' took off from RAF Croft at 1726LT for what is believed to have been a mine laying operational flight. Aircraft from various squadrons were mine laying the waters around The Frisians and Helgoland on this night. Other modern accounts quote Le Havre as being a land target for bombs but this is believed to not be correct. The accident record card for this incident; the Form Am1180, makes no mention of what the target was hence the confusion. The crew dropped their cargo and headed for home but were hit by flak. Before they could land at base the aircraft flew across the North Yorkshire Moors, the Moors were covered in a thick band of cloud at the time and the crew became uncertain of their position on their return to Yorkshire; they had probably flown off course by a few degrees. They descended to try and work out their location but struck high ground east of Chop Gate on Black Intake Moor at 2300LT and all on the aircraft lost their lives in the crash which completely destroyed the aircraft.
Crew (427th Squadron):
Sgt Oscar Philip Edwin Ronald J. Adlam, pilot,
F/O Bryan Dunn, navigator,
Sgt William Charles Ivor Jelley, wireless operator and air gunner,
Sgt Arnold Charles Clifford, bombardier,
Sgt William Ball, air gunner.
Source:
http://www.yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk/aircraft/planes/43/bj778.html

The crew left RAF Church Broughton at 1915LT on January 29 for a night training exercise. At 0059LT, all crews were informed about the deterioration of the weather conditions but for unknown reason, the crew of X3941 did not receive this message. While returning to his base in low visibility, the bomber hit tree tops and crashed in a field located in Gladwins Mark, some three miles north of Matlock. Two crew members were killed while three others were injured.
Crew (27th OTU):
Sgt William Alan Catron, pilot, †
Sgt Kenneth Barton Killeen, air bomber, †
P/O Neil Garrett Traylen, navigator,
Sgt Neil Charles Craigie, wireless operator,
Sgt Thomas Somerville Easton, air gunner.