Libya

Suffered an accident somewhere in Libya in 1982. Exact date unknown. The aircraft was operated by the Libyan Ministry for Agriculture.

While taking off from an airstrip located somewhere in the Libyan Desert, the single engine aircraft crashed and burst into flames. The airplane was destroyed and the pilot, sole on board, was killed. Owned by Pilatus, the airplane was operated for Air Libya.

Upon landing at the Oil Station n° 12, somewhere in Libya, one of the main landing gear collapsed. The airplane slid for several yards before coming to rest. There were no injuries but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

On 7 December the aircraft flew down to Fezzan from Idris Airport to the Esso (Petroleum Ltd.) camp at Wadi al Atshan - a flight of some 400 miles. From Atshan it made one local flight of 45 minutes duration. The aircraft was then refuelled at Atshan and set off at 1427LT for the return journey to Idris Airport where it was expected to arrive at 1800LT with 2 crew and 4 passengers aboard. When the aircraft failed to arrive, a series of radio checks were carried out followed by a widespread air and surface search. The wreckage was sighted the next day. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and all six occupants have been killed.

Following a bombing mission over Naples, Italy, the aircraft failed to return to its base in Soluch, Libya. During the back trip, the crew radioed he lost his automatic direction finder and requested ground vector. Due to poor visibility, the crew overflew Soluch Airport and continued to the south. Two hours later, due to fuel exhaustion, the crew decided to abandon the aircraft and bailed out. The four-engine aircraft continued for 26 km to the south before crashing in the Calanshio Sand Sea, about 710 km southeast of Soluch. USAF authorities thought that the aircraft crashed into the Mediterranean sea and the SAR operations were unable to find any trace of the aircraft or the crew. On November 9, 1958, a British oil exploration team located the crash site for the first time. Five bodies were found in May 1960 dozen km away from the wreckage.

The airplane departed RAF Shallufa to attack ships in the Benghazi harbor. Following a successful mission, the crew was returning to base when the aircraft ran out of fuel. After the engines n°1, 2 and 3 failed, the captain reduced his altitude and attempted an emergency landing in a desert area located 128 km west of Fort Maddalena. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair and all eight crew members escaped uninjured and were later rescued by a ground unit.
Crew (220th Squadron):
Jimmy Stevenson, pilot,
Ken Brailsford, pilot,
Dick Parnell,
Tony Barwood,
Tom Gwynn,
Ken Waddle,
Bill Struthers,
Colin Barber.

The floatplane and its crew was dropping depth charges when it was shot down by enemy fire coming from the Italian submarine named 'Delfino'. It went out of control and crashed into the sea some 22 km off the Libyan coast. Four crew members were rescued and eight others were killed.
Crew (230th Squadron):
F/Lt Engert Brand, pilot,
P/O Ernest Edward Dennis, pilot,
F/O Raymond Edward Packington, pilot, †
F/O Robert Miles East, observer, †
F/Sgt Robert Horsburgh, wireless operator and air gunner, †
Sgt George Cyril Starkey, wireless operator and air gunner, †
Sgt Jack Ivor Mell, wireless operator and air gunner, †
Sgt William Murray White, wireless operator and air gunner,
Sgt Stephen Edward Gould, air gunner, †
Sgt Edward Shoosmith, air gunner, †
Sgt W. H. Yates, air gunner,
LAC Geoffrey Elliot Cooper, radio operator. †

The airplane departed Shallufa Airfield on an operation to Benghazi. It failed to return to base and probably crashed in a desert area located at the border between Libya and Egypt. No trace was found.
Crew:
F/Sgt Rowland Atkin,
Sgt Christopher Timothy Fletcher,
Sgt Dorian Allison Hinde,
F/Sgt James Hood,
Sgt Kenneth Naylor,
Sgt Jack Vickery Rowe.

The airplane departed Berka AFB near Benghazi to attack ships in the area of Crete. While returning to base in the evening, the pilot got lost and the airplane continued to the south before it crashed in a desert area, some 500 km southeast of Berka. All six crew members were killed.

The aircraft crashed in unknown circumstances in the Libyan desert while on its way to el-Gubba, east of Tobruk. W/O N. P. Donnelly survived and became a PoW while four other occupants were killed.
Crew (216th Squadron):
F/S Benjamin T. M. Baker, pilot, †
F/L John B. W. Smith, pilot, †
LAC Alfred F. Crohill, †
Cpl William C. Royle, wireless operator and air gunner, †
W/O N. P. Donnelly.

Special thanks to Nigel Hartley for his testimony.