Royal Air Force - RAF | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

The crew was involved in a bombing mission in the region of Trondheim, Norway. While approaching its target, the battleship christened 'Tirpitz', the aircraft was shot down by the German Flak and crashed in flames. All seven crew members were killed.
Crew (97th Squadron):
F/Lt John Goodsir MacKid, pilot,
P/O Ronald Benjamin Underwood, pilot,
P/O Thomas Neville Tree, observer,
Sgt Eric McDermott, wireless operator and air gunner,
Sgt William Keay Falconer Marshall, wireless operator and air gunner,
Sgt Frederick Bennett, air gunner,
Sgt Raymond Day, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by the German Flak.

Crash of a Consolidated B-24D-CO Liberator in Montreal

Date & Time: Apr 28, 1942

Type of aircraft:

Consolidated B-24 Liberator

Operator:

Registration:

FK216

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Military

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

MSN:

YOM:

1941

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Crashed on take off after an elevator seized. Damaged beyond repair. Crew fate unknown.

Crash of a Douglas DB-7 Boston IIIA in Raversijde: 1 killed

Date & Time: Apr 27, 1942

Type of aircraft:

Douglas A-20 Havoc/DB-7 Boston

Operator:

Registration:

Z2249

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Schedule:

Swanton Morley - Swanton Morley

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While overflying Belgium, the twin engine aircraft was hit by Flak. The captain decided to make an emergency landing and the aircraft belly landed and came to rest in flames in a prairie located in Raversijde, near Ostend. A crew member was killed while both other occupants were injured.
Crew (226th Squadron):
F/O W. A. Keech,
Sgt W. Phillips,
Sgt D. Handford. †
Source & photo: http://www.sbap.be/foreign/foreign01.htm

Probable cause:

Shot down by the Flak.

Crash of an Avro 679 Manchester I in Visgaarde: 1 killed

Date & Time: Apr 24, 1942 at 0320 LT

Type of aircraft:

Avro 679 Manchester

Operator:

Registration:

L7463

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Schedule:

Coningsby - Coningsby

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The aircraft left RAF Coningsby at 2200LT on April 23 on a bombing mission to Rostock, Germany. While overflying Denmark by night, an engine overheated and exploded. The captain ordered his crew to bail out and he tried to make an emergency landing. Eventually, he lost control of the aircraft that crashed in a huge explosion in a field located in Visgaarde, some 3 km east of Tinglev. The pilot was killed while all other occupants were uninjured.
Crew (106th Squadron):
P/O Harry Murdoch Stoffer, pilot, †
F/Lt T. Prescott-Decie, pilot,
P/O J. H. Paton,
Sgt I. Hamilton,
Sgt N. S. Lewis,
F/O N. J. C. Pollock,
Sgt J. C. George.

Probable cause:

Engine overheating.

Crash of an Airspeed AS.10 Oxford II near Westacre Junction

Date & Time: Apr 24, 1942

Type of aircraft:

Airspeed AS.10 Oxford

Operator:

Registration:

R5997

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Schedule:

Bulawayo - Bulawayo

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Both pilots were engaged in a training flight on behalf of the 21st Army Training School. En route, the twin engine aircraft collided with birds that hit the right wing and the right engine. The crew was forced to reduce his altitude and to attempt an emergency landing in an open field. On touch down, the aircraft lost its undercarriage and slid for several yards before coming to rest. Both crew escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Probable cause:

Bird strike.

Crash of an Avro 683 Lancaster I in Masham

Date & Time: Apr 22, 1942 at 0320 LT

Type of aircraft:

Avro 683 Lancaster

Operator:

Registration:

L7584

Flight Phase:

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Schedule:

Waddington - Waddington

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The crew was involved in a night training exercise from RAF Waddington. While cruising in low visibility, the pilot was unable to locate his real position when the aircraft hit a hill located near Masham. All seven crew members were injured while the aircraft was destroyed.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax II near Kreuth: 8 killed

Date & Time: Apr 20, 1942 at 2358 LT

Type of aircraft:

Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax II

Operator:

Registration:

V9976

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Military

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While cruising by night at an altitude of 1,800 meters over the German Alps, the bomber hit the slope of a mountain located in the Blue Mountains, near Kreuth. All eight crew members were killed.
Crew (138th Squadron):
W/C W. R. Farley,
F/O J. A. Pulton,
Sgt Bronislaw Karbowski,
Sgt Czeslaw Madracki,
Cpt Antoni Voellnagel,
Sgt Leon Wilmanski,
Sgt Mieczyslaw Wojciechowski,
Cpt Ryszard Zygmuntowicz.

Crash of a De Havilland DH.89A Dragon Rapide near Dalmellington

Date & Time: Apr 20, 1942

Type of aircraft:

De Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide

Operator:

Registration:

BD143

Flight Phase:

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MSN:

6344

YOM:

1936

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En route, an engine failed, forcing the pilot to attempt an emergency landing. While approaching a field located in Breston Farm, near Dalmellington, the aircraft hit the ground so violently that the tail was sheared off. The aircraft came to rest and was damaged beyond repair while all eight occupants escaped slightly injured.

Probable cause:

Engine failure.

Crash of an Avro 652 Anson I on Mt Foel-fras: 1 killed

Date & Time: Apr 20, 1942

Type of aircraft:

Avro 652 Anson

Operator:

Registration:

N4980

Flight Phase:

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Schedule:

Moreton-in-Marsh - Moreton-in-Marsh

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While cruising at low altitude in poor weather conditions, the twin engine aircraft hit the east slope of Mt Foel-fras, in the Snowdonia, north of Wales. Three crew members were injured while the fourth occupant was killed.

Probable cause:

Navigational error caused by a wrong chart interpretation on part of the crew.

Crash of an Avro 683 Lancaster in Evreux: 7 killed

Date & Time: Apr 17, 1942 at 1655 LT

Type of aircraft:

Avro 683 Lancaster

Operator:

Registration:

L7536

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Bombing

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Waddington - Waddington

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The crew left RAF Waddington at 1512LT on a bombing mission to Augsburg, Germany. While overflying France, the aircraft was attacked by the pilot of a German fighter. With all four engines on fire, the aircraft went out of control, dove into the ground and crashed in flames in a field located six km southwest of Evreux. All seven crew members were killed.
Crew (44th Squadron):
Sgt George Thomas Rhodes, pilot,
Sgt Lawrence Heaton Baxter, pilot,
Sgt Brian Ignatius Joseph Daly, navigator,
Sgt Cyril Leonard Merricks, wireless operator and air gunner,
Sgt John Alfred Wynton, wireless operator and air gunner,
F/Sgt George Alfred Edwards, air gunner,
F/Sgt Henry Verdun, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by a German fighter.

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