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Crash of a Handley Page H.P.42E into the Gulf of Oman: 8 killed

Date & Time: Mar 1, 1940 at 1320 LT
Type of aircraft:
Handley Page H.P.42
Operator:
Registration:
G-AAGX
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Calcutta – Jask – Sharjah – Alexandria – London
MSN:
HP.42/1
YOM:
1929
Flight number:
CW197
Location:
Gulf of Oman
All World
Country:
World
Region:
World
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
4
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
8
Circumstances:
While overflying the Gulf of Oman, the aircraft named 'Hannibal' crashed into the sea in unknown circumstances. SAR operations failed to find any trace of the aircraft nor the crew and were suspended after few days.
Crew:
N. Townsend, pilot,
C. J. Walsh, copilot,
A. H. H. Tidbury, radio operator,
C. A. F. Steventon, steward.
Passengers:
A. T. Pannirselvam,
Harold A. Whistler,
Alf Bryn,
Henry Hutchison.
Probable cause:
The UK Air Ministry considered as improbable that the crash had resulted from sabotage, hostile action or inflight fire. Also considered improbable was complete fuel exhaustion, although the starvation of the supply of gasoline attributed to improper activation of the corresponding controls could not be ruled out. Other possible causes were a bird strike damaging a propeller and leading to the failure of the engine mounting or even an entire wing; some type of structural failure, especially considering the age of aircraft and the history of vibration experienced with the type, or multiple power plant malfunction, which also could have preceded structural failure. Two months after the disappearance, and in following one of the recommendations made in the investigative report, it was announced by the British government that the HP.42 would no longer be used in passenger operations. It was also recommended that commercial aircraft used in long over-water flights be equipped with personal and group life-saving gear, which would later be standard throughout the industry.

Crash of a Vickers 408 Wellington IA into the North Sea: 6 killed

Date & Time: Feb 21, 1940 at 0306 LT
Type of aircraft:
Vickers 408 Wellington IA
Operator:
Registration:
N2951
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Survey / Patrol / Reconnaissance
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Marham - Marham
Location:
North Sea
All World
Country:
World
Region:
World
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Marham at 2325LT on 20 February to search for enemy shipping. Last contact at 0306LT when it crashed in unknown circumstances into the North Sea. No trace was ever found.
Crew (38th Squadron):
F/O Noel Hawxby, pilot,
LAC Thomas Frederick Johnson,
LAC Frederick Glynn Jones,
LAC Arthur Rex Chapman,
Sgt Leslie Charles Cond,
Sgt Anthony Hill.

Crash of a Heinkel He.111H-2 into the North Sea: 4 killed

Date & Time: Jan 19, 1940 at 1315 LT
Type of aircraft:
Heinkel He.111
Operator:
Registration:
T5+UH
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Aerial photography
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
MSN:
5542
Location:
North Sea
All World
Country:
World
Region:
World
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
The airplane was engaged in a high-level photo-reconnaissance mission of the Firth of Forth and the Clyde. While approaching the Scottish coast at an altitude of 20,000 feet, the airplane was shot down by the pilot of an RAF Spitfire and crashed into the sea some 100 km east of Aberdeen. All four crew members were killed.
Crew:
Uffz Fritz Schneider, pilot,
Lt Johann Fokuhl, observer,
Uffz Heinz Hartwig, flight engineer,
Uffz Otto Schäfer, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Shot down by a British fighter.

Crash of a Bristol 142 Blenheim IV into the North Sea: 2 killed

Date & Time: Jan 18, 1940
Type of aircraft:
Bristol 142 Blenheim
Operator:
Registration:
BL-127
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Delivery
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Perth – Stavanger
Location:
North Sea
All World
Country:
World
Region:
World
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Circumstances:
The crew took deliver of the airplane at Perth Airfield and was supposed to fly to Stavanger, Norway. En route, the aircraft crashed in unknown circumstances into the North Sea. No trace of the aircraft nor the crew was ever found.
Crew:
Lt Rudolf Gottschalk, pilot,
Sgt Pekka Kallakari, radio operator.

Crash of a Bristol 142 Blenheim IV into the North Sea: 3 killed

Date & Time: Jan 10, 1940
Type of aircraft:
Bristol 142 Blenheim
Operator:
Registration:
P4859
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Survey / Patrol / Reconnaissance
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Wattisham - Wattisham
MSN:
9374
YOM:
1939
Location:
North Sea
All World
Country:
World
Region:
World
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
The twin engine airplane departed RAF Wattisham on a reconnaissance mission over Germany. En route, it was shot down by the pilot of a German fighter and crashed into the North Sea. All three crew members were killed.
Crew:
Sgt J. H. Hanne,
Sgt G. L. Williams,
AC1 E. Vick.
Probable cause:
Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Vickers 408 Wellington IA into the North Sea: 6 killed

Date & Time: Jan 2, 1940
Type of aircraft:
Vickers 408 Wellington IA
Operator:
Registration:
N2946
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Survey / Patrol / Reconnaissance
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Mildenhall - Mildenhall
Location:
North Sea
All World
Country:
World
Region:
World
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Circumstances:
While on a reconnaissance mission over the North Sea, the bomber was shot down by the pilot of a German fighter and crashed in flames into the sea, killing all six crew members.
Crew (149th Squadron):
AC2 Douglas J. Drury,
AC2 Aubrey Hinchliffe,
Sgt William H. C. Kidd,
LAC Albert J. Mantle,
Sgt John Morrice,
Sgt Harry R. B. Wakeham.
Probable cause:
Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Vickers 408 Wellington IA into the North Sea: 6 killed

Date & Time: Jan 2, 1940
Type of aircraft:
Vickers 408 Wellington IA
Operator:
Registration:
N2943
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Survey / Patrol / Reconnaissance
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Mildenhall - Mildenhall
Location:
North Sea
All World
Country:
World
Region:
World
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Circumstances:
While on a reconnaissance flight over the North Sea, the bomber was shot down by the pilot of a German Messerschmitt Me.110. On fire, the aircraft went out of control and dove into the sea, killing all six crew members.
Crew (149th Squadron):
F/O Hugh L. M. Bulloch,
Sgt Robert Ballantyne,
Sgt Donald J. Kirkness,
LAC Walter Greig,
LAC Aldewin A. Brown,
AC2 Denis H. Grove.
Probable cause:
Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of an Avro 652 Anson I into the North Sea: 4 killed

Date & Time: Dec 6, 1939
Type of aircraft:
Avro 652 Anson
Operator:
Registration:
K6189
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Survey / Patrol / Reconnaissance
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Bircham Newton - Bircham Newton
Location:
North Sea
All World
Country:
World
Region:
World
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
While performing a maritime patrol flight over the North Sea, the twin engine aircraft collided with a German fighter Bf.110. Both aircraft went out of control and crashed some 112 km north of Texel, in The Netherlands. All six crewmen in both aircraft were killed.
Crew (206th Squadron):
P/O John Henry Grimes, pilot,
Sgt Victor Donald MacMillan, copilot,
Cpl Harold John Cockayne,
AC1 John Charles Bagley.

Crash of an Avro 652 Anson I into the Celtic Sea: 5 killed

Date & Time: Dec 1, 1939
Type of aircraft:
Avro 652 Anson
Operator:
Registration:
N5073
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Training
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Benson - Bude
Location:
Celtic Sea
All World
Country:
World
Region:
World
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
The crew was performing a training flight from Benson to Bude. The twin engine aircraft departed RAF Benson at 0930LT. En route, the pilot decided to continue over the Celtic Sea for about 80 km before returning to his base via Trevose Head. But the aircraft disappeared and failed to arrive in Bude. SAR operations did not find any trace of the aircraft nor the five crewmen.
Crew (63rd Squadron):
P/O Charles Robey Coventry, pilot,
P/O Angus Cameron, observer,
Sgt Alvin Gordon Gibson,
AC2 Hugh Oliver Wilson Gormlay,
AC2 James Crompton Buckland.

Crash of a Dornier DO.18D3 into the North Sea

Date & Time: Nov 29, 1939 at 0354 LT
Type of aircraft:
Dornier DO.18
Operator:
Registration:
K6+FH
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Survey / Patrol / Reconnaissance
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
MSN:
738
YOM:
1939
Location:
North Sea
All World
Country:
World
Region:
World
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
While cruising at night, the crew was forced to ditch the float plane into the North Sea following an engine failure. All four crew members were rescued and interned.
Crew:
Uffz Bernhard Uphoff,
Fw Walter-Ferdinand Belhaus,
Uffz Peter Gondesen,
Uffz Erich Giese.
Probable cause:
Engine failure in flight.
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