Survey / Patrol / Reconnaissance

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Consolidated PBY Catalina

Schedule:

Honington - Honington

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane departed RAF Honington at 1530LT for an armed reconnaissance mission off the French and Belgian coasts. Intercepted northeast of Calais, it was shot down by a Me.109 and crashed into the sea off Zeebrugge. The pilot was killed and five others became PoW.
Crew:
W/Cdr Roy George Claringbould Arnold, pilot, †
Sgt Reginald Harry Barratt,
F/O Thomas Albert Bax,
F/Lt Dominic Bruce,
Sgt James Murray Pinkham,
Sgt Harold Arthur Wink.

Probable cause:

Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Consolidated PBY-1 Catalina off Gibraltar: 2 killed

Date & Time: Jun 7, 1941

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

W8407

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Consolidated PBY Catalina

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Crashed in unknown circumstances into the sea off Gibraltar while on a maritime patrol flight. Two crew members were killed and five others were rescued.
Crew:
F/Sgt James Hogarth Adamson, †
F/Lt Greville Vincent Nicholls, †
Sgt A. L. Mahon,
Sgt M. Joy,
Sgt D. H. Button,
LAC N. L. Holmes,
LAC R. C. Griffiths.

Crash of a Consolidated PBY-1 Catalina in the Atlantic Ocean: 8 killed

Date & Time: Jun 5, 1941

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

AH537

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Bristol Fairchild Bolingbroke

Schedule:

Mount Batten - Gibraltar

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The Catalina departed RAF Mount Batten on a maritime patrol flight to Gibraltar. It failed to arrive at destination and was lost without trace, maybe it crashed somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean. All eight crew members were killed.
Crew:
F/Sgt Frederick Arthur Burrows,
F/Lt Noel Kenneth Burton-Chadwick,
LAC John Charles Croome,
LAC John Kenneth Dains,
LAC William Henry Gill,
Cpl Harold Randolph Pye,
F/Lt Alfred William Knox Watson,
P/O Frank Bernard Yard.

Crash of a Bristol Fairchild Bolingbroke IV off Sable Island: 4 killed

Date & Time: Jun 3, 1941 at 1230 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

9007

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Sydney - Sydney

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

909

Captain / Total hours on type:

120.00

Circumstances:

The airplane departed Sydney Airport on a convoy patrol mission and later crashed in unknown circumstances into the ocean off Sable Island. No trace of the crew or the airplane was ever found.
Crew:
S/L Richard Brock Wylie, pilot,
P/O Frederick James Parker, navigator,
Sgt Leonard Joseph Reynold Chabot, wireless operator,
AC1 Floyd Joseph Tibbett, navigator.

Final Report:

Crash of a Lockheed L-414 Hudson I off Sable Island: 5 killed

Date & Time: Jun 3, 1941 at 1140 LT

Type of aircraft:

Lockheed L-414 Hudson

Operator:

Registration:

782

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Dartmouth - Dartmouth

MSN:

414-1785

YOM:

1940

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

633

Captain / Total hours on type:

572.00

Copilot / Total flying hours:

707

Copilot / Total hours on type:

532

Circumstances:

The airplane departed Dartmouth Airport on a SAR operation after an RCAF Bristol Fairchild Bolingbroke was missing in the area of Sable Island. While flying in poor visibility, the airplane struck a wireless mast on Sable Island and crashed into the sea. All five crew members were killed.
Crew:
F/Lt Gerald Barclay Snow, pilot,
F/O Ivan Lloyd George Gillis, navigator,
F/Lt Frederick Judson Bell, navigator,
Cpl Douglas Earl Craig, wireless operator,
AC1 Gordon Allen Dilworth, wireless operator.

Probable cause:

Low flying in heavy fog and error in altimeter due to lower atmospheric pressure at Sable Island than at Dartmouth.

Final Report:

Crash of a Bristol 152 Beaufort I off Terschelling: 2 killed

Date & Time: Jun 2, 1941 at 1415 LT

Type of aircraft:

Bristol 152 Beaufort

Operator:

Registration:

X8921

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

North Coates - North Coates

MSN:

9543

YOM:

1941

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane departed RAF North Coates on a maritime patrol flight. Approaching the Dutch coast, it was shot down by a German fighter and crashed into the sea some 10 km off Terschelling. Two crew members were killed and two others were injured and became PoW.
Crew:
F/O William David Gaynel McCaw, pilot,
Sgt Frederick William O'Brien, observer, †
F/Sgt Ivor Thomas Charles Edwards, wireless operator, †
Sgt Percy Reginald Woodland, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Heinkel He.111H-8 off Zennor: 5 killed

Date & Time: May 27, 1941 at 2215 LT

Type of aircraft:

Heinkel He.111

Operator:

Registration:

G1+AM

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Chartres - Chartres

MSN:

3867

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane departed Chartres on a reconnaissance mission. While flying over the Celtic Sea, it was shot down by a Spitfire and crashed some 2 km off Zennor. All five crew members were killed.
Crew:
Fw Lorenz Kempel, pilot,
Uffz Kurt Nuglan, observer,
Fw Martin Goebel, flight engineer,
Fw Otto Stadel, radio operator,
Gfr Josef Wiederer, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by a British flighter.

Crash of a Heinkel He.111H-5 on Mt Snæfugl: 4 killed

Date & Time: May 22, 1941

Type of aircraft:

Heinkel He.111

Operator:

Registration:

F8+GM

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Eastern Region (Austurland)

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

MSN:

3900

Location:

Mt Snæfugl

Country:

Iceland

Region:

Europe

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

While on a reconnaissance mission, the crew lost his bearings and became disoriented. Cruising in foggy conditions, the airplane impacted the slope of Mt Snæfugl. All four crew members were killed. The wreckage was found 11 days later by a local farmer.
Crew:
Oblt Hans Joachim Dürfeld, pilot,
Ogefr Franz Beruer, observer,
Uffz Josef Lutz, radio operator,
Fw Friedrich Harnisch, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Controlled flight into terrain.

Crash of a Douglas A-20 Havoc I in Bishop's Stortford

Date & Time: May 13, 1941

Type of aircraft:

Douglas A-20 Havoc/DB-7 Boston

Operator:

Registration:

BJ495

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors: