Date & Time:
Oct 23, 1940 at 2100 LT
Type of aircraft:
Vickers 408 Wellington IA
Operator:
Registration:
L7775
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Training
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Lossiemouth - Lossiemouth
Country:
United Kingdom
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
2
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
2
Circumstances:
The crew departed RAF Lossiemouth on a navigation exercise, passing over Brechin, Kinnaird Head, Inverness then back to Lossiemouth. While cruising in limited visibility due to the night and thick clouds, the captain failed to realize his altitude was insufficient. The bomber impacted the slope of a mountain located in Bruach Mohr, some 5 miles northwest of Braemar. Two crew members were killed and five other occupants were injured.
Crew (20th OTU):
P/O Herbert Martin Coombs, pilot, †
P/O Douglas Veale Gilmour, pilot,
Sgt Kenneth Winchcombe Bordycott, navigator,
Sgt Frank Hutson, wireless operator and air gunner, †
Sgt Alfred Wilson Milroy,
Sgt George Ronald Lyon,
Sgt John Adam Sparks, air gunner.
Crew (20th OTU):
P/O Herbert Martin Coombs, pilot, †
P/O Douglas Veale Gilmour, pilot,
Sgt Kenneth Winchcombe Bordycott, navigator,
Sgt Frank Hutson, wireless operator and air gunner, †
Sgt Alfred Wilson Milroy,
Sgt George Ronald Lyon,
Sgt John Adam Sparks, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Controlled flight into terrain.
