Date & Time:
Nov 24, 1950
Type of aircraft:
Armstrong Whitworth AW.38 Whitley
Registration:
P5090
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Training
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Mountains
Country:
United Kingdom
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
5
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
The crew was completing a night training flight and was returning to his base in Belfast-Aldergrove when the pilot in command lost his orientation and continued to the northeast to Scotland. While running out of fuel in low visibility, the aircraft hit the slope of a mountain located in the Fathan Glinne Mountain Range, near the village of Balquhidder, by the Loch Voil. A crew member was seriously injured while five others were killed.
Crew:
Sgt John James Westoby, pilot, †
Sgt William John Barnfather, pilot, †
Sgt John Whitsed, observer, †
Sgt James Gerrard Curtis, wireless operator and air gunner, †
Sgt Jack Perfect, wireless operator and air gunner, †
Sgt W. S. Hamilton, air gunner.
Crew:
Sgt John James Westoby, pilot, †
Sgt William John Barnfather, pilot, †
Sgt John Whitsed, observer, †
Sgt James Gerrard Curtis, wireless operator and air gunner, †
Sgt Jack Perfect, wireless operator and air gunner, †
Sgt W. S. Hamilton, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Controlled flight into terrain.