Military | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

While on a liaison flight, the twin engine aircraft went out of control and crashed in an open field located in Saighton, southeast of Chester. Both crewmen were killed.
Crew:
P/O John P. Dalton, pilot,
LAC Alfred C. Beech.

Crash of a Heinkel He.111H-2 off Redcar

Date & Time: Apr 3, 1940 at 1245 LT

Type of aircraft:

Heinkel He.111

Operator:

Registration:

1H+AC

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Lübeck - Lübeck

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Approaching the British coast, the twin engine bomber was shot down by the pilot of an RAF Spitfire and crashed into the sea off Redcar. All five crew members were rescued.
Crew:
Oberstlt Hans Hefele,
Lt Rudolf Gustav-Adolf Behnisch,
Uffz Albert Wilhelm Johannes Heinrich Weber,
Uffz Alfred Bächle,
Lt Georg Kempe.

Probable cause:

Shot down by an RAF fighter.

Crash of a Bristol 142 Blenheim I in Portslade: 2 killed

Date & Time: Mar 21, 1940

Type of aircraft:

Bristol 142 Blenheim

Operator:

Registration:

L1427

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Rosières-en-Santerre – Tangmere – Kemble

MSN:

8710

YOM:

1939

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The twin engine airplane departed Rosières-en-Santerre at 0800LT on a flight to Kemble via Tangmere, carrying four crew members. After passing Brighton, the crew encountered poor visibility due to low clouds. Flying too low, the airplane impacted the slope of a hill and crashed in Jeffries Point, near Portslade. Two crew members were killed and two others were injured.
Crew:
P/O Henry Stephen Penton Hulton, pilot, †
Sgt Oliver William Dumbreck, observer, †
LAC Oultram,
Cpl G. E. Lapwood.

Probable cause:

Controlled flight into terrain.

Crash of a Junkers W.34 in Warstein: 1 killed

Date & Time: Mar 16, 1940 at 1400 LT

Type of aircraft:

Junkers W.34

Operator:

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

MSN:

4046

YOM:

1939

Location:

Warstein

North Rhine-Westphalia

Country:

Germany

Region:

Europe

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The airplane was engaged as a target during an exercice and was mistakenly shot down by the German Flak. It crashed in a field located in Warstein, south of Lippstadt. Two crew members were injured while a third was killed.
Crew:
Lt Knüpfer +2.

Probable cause:

Mistakenly shot down by the German Flak.

Crash of a Focke-Wulf Fw.58 Weihe near Den Helder

Date & Time: Mar 12, 1940 at 2320 LT

Type of aircraft:

Focke-Wulf Fw.58 Weihe

Operator:

Registration:

198

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Texel – Den Helder

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The twin engine airplane departed Texel on a night flight to Den Helder-De Kooy Airport. En route, the pilot encountered poor visibility due to fog and lost his orientation. After being short of fuel, he attempted an emergency landing when the airplane crash landed on a beach located 3 km northeast of Den Helder, on the border of the Waddenzee. All four crew members were rescued.

Crash of a Tupolev TB-3 near Lake Murtosalkä

Date & Time: Mar 10, 1940

Type of aircraft:

Tupolev ANT-6 (TB-3 & G-2)

Operator:

Flight Phase:

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Site:

MSN:

22198

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The soviet transport Tupolev TB-3 was shot down by the pilot of a Swedish Air Force Gloster Gladiator. The pilot attempted to make an emergency landing near the Lake Murtosalkä, between the cities of Kemijärvi and Kuusamo. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair and all eight occupants survived, among them captain Sergei T. Karepov. Due to resistance to Finnish Ground Forces, five crew members were later killed.

Probable cause:

Shot down by a Swedish Air Force fighter.

Crash of an Airspeed AS.10 Oxford I in Brize Norton

Date & Time: Mar 6, 1940

Type of aircraft:

Airspeed AS.10 Oxford

Operator:

Registration:

L4554

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

MSN:

YOM:

1937

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On final approach to RAF Brize Norton, the twin engine aircraft impacted trees and crashed in a wooded area. Both crewmen were injured and the aircraft was destroyed.

Probable cause:

Too low approach on part of the crew.

Crash of an Armstrong Whitworth AW.38 Whitley IV at RAF Dishforth

Date & Time: Mar 2, 1940

Type of aircraft:

Armstrong Whitworth AW.38 Whitley

Operator:

Registration:

K9026

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Dishforth - Dishforth

MSN:

1479

YOM:

1939

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The crew was returning to his base at RAF Dishforth following a mission over Berlin. On final approach, the aircraft crashed in unknown circumstances in a field. All five crew members were injured and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
Crew (10th Squadron):
Sgt Arthur Stanley Johnson, pilot,
F/Lt Philip John Hunter Harrington, copilot,
Sgt Herbert Brian Felix Lymna, observer,
LAC Francis Patrick McQuade, wireless operator,
LAC George Alexander Chalmers, air gunner.

Crash of an Avro 652 Anson I in Hay Bluff: 1 killed

Date & Time: Mar 2, 1940

Type of aircraft:

Avro 652 Anson

Operator:

Registration:

N9879

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Staverton - Staverton

Location:

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Circumstances:

The crew was engaged in a night training exercise on behalf of the 6th Air Observers School. En route, the crew became lost due to poor visibility caused by night and a thick cloud layer. At a height of some 660 metres, the twin engine aircraft impacted a hill located near Hay Bluff and was destroyed. A crew was killed while all three other occupants were injured.
Crew:
F/Lt R. M. Nobiston, pilot, †
AC1 W. N. Blau, pupil navigator,
AC1 J. N. Nightingale, pupil navigator,
R. M. Knight, instructor.