Date & Time:
Dec 20, 1951
Type of aircraft:
Avro 694 Lincoln
Operator:
Registration:
SX991
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Survey / Patrol / Reconnaissance
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Benson - Benson
Country:
United Kingdom
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
0
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Following an uneventful aerial photography and surveillance mission, the crew was returning to his base in Benson, south Oxfordshire. On final approach by night, the pilot-in-command completed two successive turns to the left and then to the right when the aircraft hit the ground and crashed in a field located about 4 miles east of the airfield. The airplane was damaged beyond repair and all six crew members were unhurt.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the pilot-in-command did not have a sufficient experience with night missions and failed to consult his altimeters while approaching the airbase. Doing so, he did not realize the aircraft lost fairly altitude during the two last turns. It is also reported that the Blind Approach Beam System (BABS) was faulty, which was considered as a contributory factor.
