Date & Time:
Apr 5, 1946 at 1115 LT
Type of aircraft:
Vickers 440 Wellington X
Operator:
Registration:
HE274
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Training
Survivors:
No
Site:
City
Schedule:
Luqa - Luqa
Country:
Malta
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
4
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
16
Total fatalities:
20
Circumstances:
The crew was completing a training sortie, simulating an aerial attack with a RAF Spitfire. While cruising at a height between 4,000 and 5,000 feet, the aircraft banked 20° to the left then dove into the ground and crashed in the center of the city. The aircraft exploded on impact and damages on ground were so heavy with several houses destroyed. All four crew members were killed plus 16 people on the ground. Several others were injured, some of them seriously.
Probable cause:
The loss of control was attributed to strong smoke spread in the cockpit due to a leak on a hydraulic line, intoxicating the crew that was unable to maintain a directional control of the aircraft and could not send any distress call.
