Royal Air Force - RAF | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

The crew was engaged in a local test flight out from West Malling Airfield. While circling in the vicinity of the airport, the airplane went out of control and crashed at Mereworth Wood. The pilot was killed and the radio operator was injured.
Crew:
W/O James Hopewell, pilot,
Sgt C. W. Cragg.

Probable cause:

It is believed that the accident was the consequence of a loss of control due to flight control malfunction.

Crash of a Vickers 416 Wellington IC off Terschelling: 6 killed

Date & Time: Jan 20, 1942 at 2204 LT

Type of aircraft:

Vickers 416 Wellington IC

Operator:

Registration:

Z1110

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Bombing

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Oakington - Oakington

Location:

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The airplane departed RAF Oakington on an operation to Emden. Flying along the Dutch coast, it was shot down by a German fighter and crashed into the sea off Terschelling. All six crew members were killed.
Crew:
Sgt Peter Lewis Chapman,
P/O Colin Hubert Curtis,
Sgt Francis Ernest Dunn,
Sgt Alan Herbert Hancox,
Sgt Herbert William Mantle,
Sgt Arthur Sidney Spackman.

Probable cause:

Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Vickers 424 Wellington IV off Terschelling: 6 killed

Date & Time: Jan 20, 1942 at 2107 LT

Type of aircraft:

Vickers 424 Wellington IV

Operator:

Registration:

Z1207

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Bombing

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Grimsby - Grimsby

Location:

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The airplane departed RAF Grimsby at 1910LT on an operation to Emden. Flying along the Dutch coast, it was shot down by a German fighter and crashed into the sea off Terschelling. All six crew members were killed.
Crew:
Sgt Edward Sextus Swingler, pilot,
F/Sgt Albert Williams Kerrisk,
F/Sgt Michael Thomas O'Brien,
P/O Kenneth Archibald Parslow, observer,
P/O John Grant Scott,
F/Sgt Gwladgwyn John Sharp.

Probable cause:

Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Vickers 406 Wellington II in Terschelling: 2 killed

Date & Time: Jan 20, 1942 at 2100 LT

Type of aircraft:

Vickers 406 Wellington II

Operator:

Registration:

Z8370

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Binbrook - Binbrook

Location:

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The airplane departed RAF Binbrook at 1834LT on an operation to Emden. It was shot down by a German fighter and crashed in Terschelling. Two crew members were killed and four others became PoW.
Crew:
Sgt Edmund John Roberts Fowler, pilot, †
Sgt William Rutherford, air gunner, †
F/Sgt George Homer Groves,
P/O Percival Raymond Ross,
F/Lt William Herbert Thallon,
F/Sgt Frederick William Walker.

Probable cause:

Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.52 Hampden I in Groningen: 4 killed

Date & Time: Jan 20, 1942 at 2058 LT

Type of aircraft:

Handley Page H.P.52 Hampden

Operator:

Registration:

AT148

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Bombing

Survivors:

Site:

City

Schedule:

Scampton – Scampton

Location:

Groningen

Country:

Netherlands

Region:

Europe

Crew on board:

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Circumstances:

The airplane departed RAF Scampton at 1705LT on an operation to Emden. Over the Netherlands, it was shot down by a German fighter and crashed in Groningen. All four crew members were killed.
Crew:
F/O Alexander Muir Harvey, pilot,
Sgt William Arthur Bill Gray, observer,
Sgt John William Hallam, wireless operator,
Sgt Richard Mannering Knapman, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Vickers 416 Wellington IC near Braemar: 8 killed

Date & Time: Jan 19, 1942 at 1250 LT

Type of aircraft:

Vickers 416 Wellington IC

Operator:

Registration:

R1646

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Training

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Lossiemouth - Lossiemouth

Location:

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The airplane departed RAF Lossiemouth on a training exercise. In unknown circumstances, it impacted the slope of a mountain located near Braemar. The wreckage was found three days later in a snow covered hilly terrain. All eight crew members were killed.
Crew:
F/O James Williamson Thomson, pilot,
Sgt Robert James Jackson, pilot,
Sgt Michael Henry John Kilburn, pilot,
F/Sgt Harry Joseph Kelley, observer,
Sgt Beaumont Churchill Dickson,
Sgt Roy Alistair Milliken,
Sgt John Bernard Riley, wireless operator,
Sgt William Morphet Greenbank, air gunner.

Crash of a Vickers 417 Wellington III near Thetford: 7 killed

Date & Time: Jan 19, 1942 at 1050 LT

Type of aircraft:

Vickers 417 Wellington III

Operator:

Registration:

X3370

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Training

Survivors:

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Circumstances:

While on a training flight, the airplane suffered a structural failure at 250 feet of the outer section of the starboard wing. It went out of control and crashed in a field at Folly Farm, north of Thetford, bursting into flames. All seven crew members were killed.
Crew:
Sgt Robert Douglas Telling, pilot,
Sgt John Amphlett, observer,
Sgt Thomas Frederick Greenwood, observer,
P/O Harry Lionel Tarbitten, observer,
F/Lt Philip Henry Creswell, navigator,
Sgt Robert Smiles Aitchison, air gunner,
Sgt Thomas George Banks, wireless operator.

Probable cause:

Structural failure of the outer section of the starboard wing in flight.

Crash of a Consolidated PBY-5 Catalina on Yell Island: 7 killed

Date & Time: Jan 19, 1942

Type of aircraft:

Consolidated PBY Catalina

Operator:

Registration:

Z2148

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Castle Archdale - Castle Archdale

Location:

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Circumstances:

The floatplane departed RAF Castle Archdale on a mission over the North Sea, off the Norwegian coast, to attack the German battleship 'Tirpitz'. En route, the pilot became disoriented due to marginal weather conditions then the airplane crashed on the south part of the Yell Island. Seven crew members were killed and three others were rescued.
Crew:
F/Lt Harry Goolden,
P/O Lyle George Schell, observer.
Sgt Sinclair Irvine, flight engineer,
Sgt Alan Oscar Pitcher, flight engineer,
Sgt Albert Roland Breakspear, wireless operator,
Sgt Eugen Henowy, wireless operator,
Sgt Leslie Albert Rowe, wireless operator.

Probable cause:

The pilot became disoriented.

Crash of a Vickers 416 Wellington IC at RAF Chipping Warden

Date & Time: Jan 18, 1942 at 0100 LT

Type of aircraft:

Vickers 416 Wellington IC

Operator:

Registration:

X9931

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Training

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Chipping Warden - Chipping Warden

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Circumstances:

The airplane was completing a local training exercise at RAF Chipping Warden. While circling the airbase at night, it crashed northeast of the runway and was destroyed. All six crew members were injured.
Crew:
Sgt B. O. Gates,
Sgt R. M. Lawrence,
P/O R. E. Halliday,
Sgt D. H. M. Jacques,
Sgt S. Cox,
Sgt E. Mason.

Crash of a Vickers 416 Wellington IC in Tilburg: 3 killed

Date & Time: Jan 17, 1942 at 2317 LT

Type of aircraft:

Vickers 416 Wellington IC

Operator:

Registration:

T2971

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

East Wretham - East Wretham

Location:

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Circumstances:

The airplane departed RAF East Wretham at 1800LT on an operation to Bremen. Over the Netherlands, it was shot down by the German Flak and crashed in Tilburg. Three crew members were killed and three others became PoW.
Crew:
Sgt Jindřich Svoboda, pilot, †
Sgt Zdenek Sichrovsky,
P/O Jaromir Brož, navigator, †
Sgt Rudolf Mašek, wireless operator, †
Sgt Karel Batelka,
Sgt Josef Šnajdr.

Probable cause:

Shot down by the German Flak.

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