Crash of a Douglas C-47A-80-DL in Lewes: 25 killed

Date & Time: Nov 19, 1944 at 1510 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
43-15046
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Châteaudun – Greenham Common
MSN:
19512
YOM:
1944
Location:
Brighton
East Sussex
Country:
United Kingdom
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
25
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
25
Circumstances:
En route to RAF Greenham Common, the crew encountered poor weather conditions. While cruising in low visibility at a height of 600 feet, the aircraft hit the slope of a hill and crash near Lewes, some 3 miles northeast of Brighton. Five passengers were rescued while all 25 other occupants were killed. At the time of the accident, the ceiling was low with a maximum horizontal visibility estimated at 800 meters. In addition, the wind was blowing from the south at an estimated speed of fifteen knots.

Crash of a Curtiss C-46A-40-CU Commando in Chanyi

Date & Time: Nov 18, 1944 at 1200 LT
Type of aircraft:
Curtiss C-46 Commando
Operator:
Registration:
42-61032
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
MSN:
26907
YOM:
1944
Location:
Chanyi
Yunnan
Country:
China
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Crash landed for unknown reason. No casualties.

Crash of an Avro 685 York in Le Rivier d’Allemont: 10 killed

Date & Time: Nov 14, 1944 at 1240 LT
Type of aircraft:
Avro 685 York
Operator:
Registration:
MW126
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Northolt - Kandy
MSN:
MW126
YOM:
1944
Location:
Le Rivier d’Allemont
Isère
Country:
France
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
3
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
10
Captain / Total flying hours:
2045
Circumstances:
The aircraft was on its way to Kandy, Ceylon, with a crew of 7 and three passengers on board, among them Air Chief Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory and his wife. While flying east of Grenoble at an altitude of 8,000 feet, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with snowstorm and fog. The crew elected to return but the Air Marshal insisted to continue. Shortly later, the four engine aircraft hit the slope of a mountain located 2 km west of Le Rivier d'Allemont and was totally destroyed. All ten occupants were killed. All rescue operations were suspended after few days as no trace of the aircraft was found. The wreckage and the dead bodies were eventually spotted by a local resident on June 4, 1945. Air Chief Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory was appointed Air Commander-in-Chief of South East Asia Command (SEAC).
Crew:
S/L Gordon Lancaster, pilot,
F/L Peter Chinn, copilot,
F/L Keith Mooring, navigator,
F/L John Casey, wireless operator,
F/O John Enser, flight engineer,
Cpl John Burgess, fitter,
L/A John Burnett, fitter,
Sgt Harold Chandler, steward.
Passengers:
Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory,
Lady Doris Jean Leigh-Mallory.
Probable cause:
A court of inquiry found that the accident was a consequence of bad weather and might have been avoided if Leigh-Mallory had not insisted that the flight proceed in such poor conditions against the advice of his aircrew

Crash of a Douglas C-47B-1-DK into the North Sea: 4 killed

Date & Time: Nov 13, 1944
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
43-48478
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Watton – Reims
MSN:
25739/14294
YOM:
1944
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:
Bound for Reims Airbase, in France, the aircraft crashed in unknown circumstances into the North Sea. No trace of the aircraft nor the four crew members was ever found.

Crash of a Douglas C-54A-1-DO Skymaster near Cape Saint George: 12 killed

Date & Time: Nov 12, 1944 at 0130 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-54 Skymaster
Operator:
Registration:
42-107427
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
New York-La Guardia - Stephenville
MSN:
7446
YOM:
1943
Location:
Cape Saint George
Newfoundland & Labrador
Country:
Canada
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
14
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
12
Circumstances:
All along the route do Stephenville, the weather conditions were considered as good. While approaching the destination, the winds went stronger. Some ten minutes prior to the scheduled arrival time, by night, the four engine aircraft hit the slope of a mountain located near Cape Saint George, west of Stephenville. Nine occupants were killed while nine others were seriously injured. Few days later, three of them died from their injuries.
Source & photos: http://planecrashgirl.ca/
Probable cause:
It appears the pilot checked the weather often before and throughout the flight, but the aircraft was still blown off-course by high velocity winds. The pilot also failed to make proper use of normally functioning radio navigational aids to check the position of the aircraft prior to and during descent. The aircraft collided with the side of a hill at what is locally known as Garden Hill on the Port-au-Port peninsula.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-50-DL near Šibenik: 5 killed

Date & Time: Nov 12, 1944
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
42-24203
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
MSN:
10065
YOM:
1943
Location:
Šibenik
Dalmatia
Country:
Croatia
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
Crashed in unknown circumstances near Šibenik, killing all five crew members.

Crash of a Douglas C-47B-1-DL near Mt Strawberry: 11 killed

Date & Time: Nov 11, 1944 at 2017 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
43-16143
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
San Rafael – Bakersfield – Los Angeles
MSN:
20609
YOM:
1944
Location:
Mt Strawberry
California
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
9
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
11
Circumstances:
On a night approach to Los Angeles-Mines Field, the aircraft hit a mountain slope located 2 miles northeast of Mt Strawberry, some 10 miles north of Altadena. All 11 occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
The crew received erroneous data relating to the wind component and direction prior to departure from Bakersfield-Meadows Field. This resulted in a deviation from the prescribed flight path and the crew started the descent while steel above the mountainous terrain north of Altadena. In low visibility, the aircraft hit the slope of a mountain northeast of Mt Strawberry and was destroyed. Thus, the accident was caused by a controlled flight into terrain.

Crash of a Douglas C-54A-15-DC Skymaster off Oahu Island: 17 killed

Date & Time: Nov 11, 1944 at 1200 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-54 Skymaster
Operator:
Registration:
42-72252
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
MSN:
10357
YOM:
1944
Location:
Pacific Ocean
All World
Country:
World
Region:
World
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
11
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
17
Circumstances:
The four engine aircraft was performing a flight from an airport located on Oahu Island and California. While cruising some 50 miles east of Oahu Island, the aircraft went out of control and crashed into the Pacific Ocean. All 17 occupants were killed.
Subscribe to Military