Survey / Patrol / Reconnaissance

Survivors:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Site:

MSN:

1403

YOM:

1940

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Following an uneventful mission and landing, crew evacuate the runway to rich his parking place. While rolling on taxiway, aircraft became uncontrollable, run down an embankment and came to rest in a ravine. All eight crew were uninjured as the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Crash of a Short S.25 Sunderland off Abu Qir: 3 killed

Date & Time: Sep 30, 1942 at 0620 LT

Type of aircraft:

Short S.25 Sunderland

Operator:

Registration:

T9050

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Abu Qir - Abu Qir

Location:

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The seaplane left Abu Qir seaplane base at 0545LT on a maritime patrol flight. After 35 minutes into the flight, the engine number one failed. The captain decided to stall the aircraft that broke its back while hitting the water surface. Three crew members were killed while all nine others were rescued. The aircraft was lost.
Crew (230th Squadron):
F/O R. J. Murphy, pilot,
P/O R. C. Scott, pilot,
F/O T. W. Sanderson, pilot,
P/O A. H. Matthews, navigator,
F/Sgt J. Harkins, wireless operator and air gunner,
Sgt K. J. Carlsson, wireless operator and air gunner, †
Sgt J. Adam, wireless operator and air gunner, †
Sgt J. Groleau, wireless operator and air gunner,
Sgt G. Lindsay, wireless operator and air gunner, †
Sgt D. Hall, flight engineer,
LAC D. McLean, fitter,
LAC N. Kelly, rigger.
Source by Alan Storr:
http://static.awm.gov.au/images/collection/pdf/RC09125_007--1-.pdf

Probable cause:

The aircraft was forced to return from patrol owing to failure of the port outer engine. There was no indication from any member of the crew including the fitter that any other engine appeared to be giving trouble. When the Captain thought the port engine was failing he should have immediately checked his engine instrument readings. Although he approach appears to have been normal, the Captain did in fact make an error as he did not allow for the facts that there was a flat calm or that he was making an approach off a flare path. Finally the pilot made the fatal mistake of attempting to look at the water. Such an act especially on a glassy sea is nearly always disastrous. The accident appears to have been brought about by the fact that the pilot attempted to land when a landing was unnecessary, and he made an error in his landing in that he appears to have used insufficient engine to flatten his approach. He also attempted to carry out a landing on a glassy sea at night by looking at the water. The Group Commander in his remarks stated ; “ I consider this accident was primarily due to the fact that there had been a fatal accident in the Squadron a few days previously due to an engine catching fire in the air and the resulting smoke filled the cockpit, making it impossible for the pilot to make a safe landing. In this case, the pilot after flying for 35 minutes on thee engines, states that he suddenly noticed a bright glow and small burst of flame on another engine and decided to land immediately, in so doing he stalled the aircraft which broke its back on hitting the water. I consider the pilot, FO Murphy, made a wrong decision in deciding to land and was guilty of an error of judgement in making the actual landing. AVM Slatter 201 Group” .

Crash of a Martin B-26 Marauder in Port Moresby

Date & Time: Sep 26, 1942 at 1200 LT

Type of aircraft:

Martin B-26 Marauder

Operator:

Registration:

40-1392

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Site:

MSN:

1392

YOM:

1940

Location:

Port Moresby

National Capital District

Country:

Papua New Guinea

Region:

Oceania

Crew on board:

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Circumstances:

During the take off run, crew mistakenly retracted the landing gear while the aircraft was still on the ground. Aircraft skidded on runway and came to rest. All occupants survived but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Probable cause:

Poor crew coordination and misfollowing of take off procedures.

Crash of a Short S.25 Sunderland I off Abu Qir: 8 killed

Date & Time: Sep 7, 1942 at 0200 LT

Type of aircraft:

Short S.25 Sunderland

Operator:

Registration:

W3927

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress

Schedule:

Abu Qir - Abu Qir

Location:

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Circumstances:

The four engine seaplane left the bay of Abu Qir by night for a maritime patrol flight. Shortly after take off, during the initial climb, the engine number one caught fire. The captain attempted to return for an emergency landing but due to smoke spread in the cockpit, he lost control of the aircraft that crashed into the sea few hundred yards off shore. Eight crew members were killed while six others were injured.
Crew:
F/Lt A. F. Howell, pilot, †
F/O S. R. H. Dunfield, pilot,
P/O A. G. G. Richmond, pilot,
Cpl F. Milne, flight engineer, †
F/Lt R. F. Crockett, observer, †
F/Sgt R. D. Adamson, wireless operator and air gunner, †
Sgt B. W. Jenkins, wireless operator and air gunner, †
Sgt J. McSherry, wireless operator and air gunner, †
P/O R. J. Lunn, wireless operator and air gunner, †
Sgt A. M. Goldsmith, wireless operator and air gunner,
AC1 W. Thomas, wireless operator and air gunner,
Sgt G. F. A. WHITEHEAD, air gunner,
LAC K. Barrow, air gunner, †
LAC Cowles, instructor.

Probable cause:

Engine failure.

Crash of a Boeing B-17E Flying Fortress off Rendova Island: 9 killed

Date & Time: Sep 6, 1942

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

41-9071

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Pouembout - Pouembout

MSN:

2543

YOM:

1941

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Circumstances:

The aircraft left Pouembout-Plaine des Gaiacs AFB (New Caledonia) on a maritime patrol flight over the Solomon Islands. While cruising off the Rendova Island, the crew intercepted a Japanese flying boat but was shot down and crashed into the sea. All nine crew members were killed.
Crew (11th BG):
Cpt Robert H. Richards, pilot,
1st Lt Robert H. McGhee, copilot,
2nd Lt William F. B. Morris, navigator,
S/Sgt Charles E. Bayer, bombardier,
Cpl Otis O. Black Jr., flight engineer,
Cpl Yvon W. Bailey, assistant to the flight engineer,
Sgt Hugh M. King, radio operator,
Cpl Peter Charuk, air gunner,
Pvt William Omanoff, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by a Japanese fighter.

Crash of a Lockheed PBO-1 Hudson into the Gulf of Maine: 4 killed

Date & Time: Aug 30, 1942

Type of aircraft:

Lockheed L-414 Hudson

Operator:

Registration:

03859

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site: