Date & Time:
Sep 22, 1943 at 2100 LT
Type of aircraft:
Short S.25 Sunderland
Operator:
Registration:
JM710
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Training
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Bathurst - Bathurst
Country:
Gambia
Region:
Africa
Crew on board:
9
Crew fatalities:
9
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
9
Circumstances:
The crew was engaged in a night training sortie out of Bathurst, Gambia. On approach, while completing a last turn to the left, the seaplane stalled and crashed in a huge explosion into the sea. All nine crewmen were killed.
Crew (208th Squadron):
F/O J. G. Finney, pilot,
F/O S. B. Cuthbert, copilot,
F/Sgt R. G. Craig, flight engineer,
Sgt R. D. Britton, navigator,
Sgt G. Weston, wireless operator and air gunner,
F/Sgt B. S. Evans, wireless operator and air gunner,
F/Sgt E. C. Hobbins, wireless operator and air gunner,
Sgt H. Revell, fitter and air gunner,
F/Sgt R. B. Billows, air gunner.
Crew (208th Squadron):
F/O J. G. Finney, pilot,
F/O S. B. Cuthbert, copilot,
F/Sgt R. G. Craig, flight engineer,
Sgt R. D. Britton, navigator,
Sgt G. Weston, wireless operator and air gunner,
F/Sgt B. S. Evans, wireless operator and air gunner,
F/Sgt E. C. Hobbins, wireless operator and air gunner,
Sgt H. Revell, fitter and air gunner,
F/Sgt R. B. Billows, air gunner.
Probable cause:
The cause of the accident is obscure. The aircraft crashed whilst turning on its circuit prior to landing. A possible cause was that the Pilot with not much night flying experience returned to RAF Bathurst whilst the weather conditions were not ideal, and the aircraft stalled in its turn. It was thought that the pilot was about to make his run up the flare path to set the gyro, as is normal practice, and stalled in the turn.
