Military | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

Shortly after takeoff, while climbing steeply to a height of some 150 feet, the aircraft stalled from the tail and went to a near vertical attitude. The left wing then dropped and the aircraft crashed into the ground and was destroyed. All five crew members were killed.
Crew (47th Squadron based in RAF Dishforth):
F/O Ian R. Donaldson,
Sgt Joseph Toal,
Nav William G. Page,
Sig Alexander Dunsire,
Eng Roy R. Gibbs.

Probable cause:

The cause was found to be the elevator trim tab which had been turned to the fully back position.

Crash of an Avro 694 Lincoln B.2 near RAF Waddington: 7 killed

Date & Time: Jul 15, 1949

Type of aircraft:

Avro 694 Lincoln

Operator:

Registration:

RF471

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Shortly after takeoff from RAF Waddington, while in initial climb, the four engine aircraft went out of control, dove into the ground and crashed in a field located 4 miles northwest of the airbase. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and all seven crew members of the 61st Squadron were killed.

Probable cause:

The exact cause of the accident could not be determined with certainty. However, the assumption that the pilot in command suffered a loss of situational awareness or suffered an optical illusion was not ruled out.

Crash of a Fairchild C-82A-15-FA Packet in Wright-Patterson AFB: 1 killed

Date & Time: Jul 14, 1949

Type of aircraft:

Fairchild C-82 Packet

Operator:

Registration:

44-23014

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

MSN:

10058

YOM:

1944

Location:

Wright-Patterson AFB (Dayton)

Ohio

Country:

United States of America

Region:

North America

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Crashed on approach to Wright-Patterson AFB, killing at least one crew member.

Crash of a Douglas C-54D-1-DC Skymaster near Hohengöhren: 3 killed

Date & Time: Jul 12, 1949 at 0117 LT

Type of aircraft:

Douglas C-54 Skymaster

Operator:

Registration:

42-72476

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Celle – Berlin

MSN:

10581

YOM:

1945

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

On a night cargo flight from Celle AFB to Berlin-Gatow Airport, the crew encountered technical problems with both right engines (number three and four). The pilot lost control of the aircraft that crashed in a field located in Hohengöhren. All three crew members of the 317th TCW were killed. The aircraft was carrying a load consisting of ten tons of coal.

Crash of a Junkers JU.52/3m off Oued Massa: 18 killed

Date & Time: Jul 9, 1949

Type of aircraft:

Junkers JU.52

Operator:

Registration:

1036

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

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Circumstances:

In unknown circumstances, the three engine aircraft registered 1036 (32 S-1) crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the Oued Massa region, about 55 km southwest of Agadir. All 18 occupants were killed. The aircraft was en route to Dakar when the accident occurred.

Crash of a Martin PBM-5 Mariner off Colón: 9 killed

Date & Time: Jul 8, 1949

Type of aircraft:

Martin PBM Mariner

Operator:

Registration:

84655

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Location:

Colón

Country:

Panama

Region:

Central America

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

En route, while cruising over the Caribbean Sea, the crew declared an emergency and informed ground about a fire on board. While descending to Coco Solo AFB located in Colón, the aircraft went out of control and crashed in flames into the Caribbean Sea some 21 km off shore. All nine crew members were killed.

Crash of a North American B-25J Mitchell near Agua Fria: 4 killed

Date & Time: Jul 7, 1949

Type of aircraft:

North American B-25 Mitchell

Operator:

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Site:

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

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Circumstances:

Crash in unknown circumstances in a mountainous area located near Agua Fria, some 50 km southwest of Caracas. All four occupants were killed.

Crash of an Aero C.3B in Třemošnice: 1 killed

Date & Time: Jul 1, 1949 at 1540 LT

Type of aircraft:

Aero C-3A

Operator:

Registration:

UB-1

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Prostějov – Prague

MSN:

408

Location:

Třemošnice

Pardubice Region (Pardubický kraj)

Country:

Czech Republic

Region:

Europe

Crew on board:

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Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

En route, weather conditions worsened and the pilot-in-command decided to reduce his altitude in an attempt to maintain a visual contact with the ground when the airplane hit trees and crashed in a dense wooded area. Three crew members were injured while the pilot, Cpt Antonín Ocelka, was killed.

Crash of a Douglas C-54E-1-DO Skymaster in Berlin

Date & Time: Jun 25, 1949

Type of aircraft:

Douglas C-54 Skymaster

Operator:

Registration:

44-9050

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Frankfurt – Berlin

MSN:

27276

YOM:

1944

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Upon landing, the four engine aircraft went out of control and came to rest upside down. All three crew members were injured and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.