Crash of a North American B-25B Mitchell in Delaport: 3 killed

Date & Time: Feb 26, 1943
Type of aircraft:
North American B-25 Mitchell
Operator:
Registration:
FK176
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Training
Survivors:
No
Site:
City
Schedule:
Nassau - Nassau
MSN:
3012
YOM:
1940
Location:
Delaport
New Providence
Country:
Bahamas
Region:
Central America
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
The crew departed Nassau on a local night training cession. While flying at low height, the airplane crashed onto a house located in Delaport, some 7 km northeast of the airfield. All four crew members escaped uninjured while three people in the house were killed.

Crash of a Boeing XB-29 Super Fortress in Seattle: 34 killed

Date & Time: Feb 18, 1943 at 1226 LT
Type of aircraft:
Boeing B-29 Superfortress
Operator:
Registration:
41-003
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Test
Survivors:
No
Site:
City
Schedule:
Seattle - Seattle
MSN:
2482
YOM:
1941
Location:
Seattle
Washington
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
11
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
34
Circumstances:
The crew was performing a test flight on this second prototype. Ten minutes after departure from Seattle-Boeing Field, the crew informed ATC that engine number one caught fire and attempted to return. At an altitude of 2,400 feet, pilot feathered the propeller and notified ATC that the fire was spreading quickly. One minute later, as it was about to land, the bomber struck a power line and crashed on an industrial butchery. Extensive emergency resources were dispatched to the scene where rescuers did not find any survivors among the debris scattered over a wide area. The building was destroyed as well and 34 dead bodies were found: all 11 occupants on board the airplane and 23 people on ground. Thirty others people were injured as well.
Crew:
Eddie Allen, Chief test pilot by Boeing,
Bob Dansfield, captain.
Probable cause:
A fire on engine number one was likely due to the rupture of a supply fuel line. When fuel contacted the engine nacelle and several other components whose temperature was high, a fire erupted that quickly spread across the wing. On final approach, a violent explosion occurred on the left wing when fire contacted the valves of the wing defrost system which was mainly composed of magnesium. In addition, air flowing under the leading edge slats boosted flames significantly, which was considered as a contributory factor. Following this tragedy, Boeing technicians were forced to modify the engine fuel system as well as some others points.

Crash of a Vickers 416 Wellington IC in Ruislip: 21 killed

Date & Time: Oct 18, 1942 at 1605 LT
Type of aircraft:
Vickers 416 Wellington IC
Operator:
Registration:
T2564
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
No
Site:
City
Schedule:
Talbenny – Northolt
Location:
Northolt AFB
London Metropolis
Country:
United Kingdom
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
9
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
21
Circumstances:
On final approach to RAF Northolt, the twin engine aircraft wen out of control and crashed near the Ruislip Station, less than 2 km short of runway. All 15 crew members as well as six people on the ground, among them 4 children, were killed. The exact circumstances of the crash remains unknown.
Crew (311st Squadron):
P/O František Bulis,
F/Sgt John Bláha,
F/Lt Václav Haňka,
P/O Bedřich Gissübel,
F/Sgt František Doležal,
P/O Jebáček.
Passengers:
F/Sgt František Stoklásek,
Sgt František Paclík,
Sgt Bill Götzlinger,
Sgt Josef Čech,
F/Lt Václav Smart,
F/Sgt Josef Švec,
P/O Anthony Bunzl,
Sgt Vladimir Rájecki,
P/O Leemans.

Crash of a GVF PS-84 in Moscow: 13 killed

Date & Time: Jun 18, 1942
Type of aircraft:
GVF PS-84
Operator:
Registration:
CCCP-L3423
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
City
Schedule:
Moscow – Kazan – Khabarovsk
MSN:
6 5 05
YOM:
29
Location:
Moscow-Khodynka
Moscow oblast
Country:
Russia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
17
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
13
Aircraft flight hours:
2041
Circumstances:
While on ground in Moscow-Khodynka Airport, the right engine was subject to maintenance due to vibrations. The technical issue was apparently resolved so the crew decided to leave Moscow for Kazan. After liftoff, while climbing to a height of 100 meters, the right engine suffered severe vibrations and the crew tried to fix the problem by changing the mixture of the carburetor. The right engine failed and the aircraft lost height and eventually stalled and crashed on a railway line located in the station of Moscow-Butyrskaya, about 3,5 km northeast of the Khodynka Airport. Three crew members, nine passengers (among them P. S. Makarova, Deputy of the Chairman of the Soviet Supreme) and one person on the ground were killed. A crew member and eight other passengers were injured and the aircraft was destroyed.
Probable cause:
The malfunction of the right engine was due to a multiple issues caused by a lack of monitoring on part of the company technicians and a poor design/conception. It was reported that the crew decided to leave Moscow because they thought the problem was resolved. Unfortunately, this was not the case and the engine suffered severe vibrations again after liftoff. The decision of the crew to interact on the carburetor mixture without knowing the exact cause of the technical issue was inappropriate. Investigations pointed out the intervention of unqualified technicians in Sverdlovsk and the lack of organization on maintenance between the technicians based in Sverdlovsk and Moscow.

Crash of a Vickers 424 Wellington IV in Lübeck: 6 killed

Date & Time: Mar 29, 1942 at 0124 LT
Type of aircraft:
Vickers 424 Wellington IV
Operator:
Registration:
Z1274
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
City
Schedule:
Grimsby - Grimsby
Location:
Lübeck
Schleswig-Holstein
Country:
Germany
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Grimsby at 2139LT on March 28 on an operation to Lübeck. Approaching the target area, it was shot down by the German Flak and crashed on the Cambrai Kaserne. All six crew members were killed.
Crew:
Sgt George Thomas Leather, pilot,
Sgt Wilfred Clarence Picher, pilot,
Sgt Gerald Patrick Murray, observer,
Sgt Hugh James McHutchinson, wireless operator,
Sgt Horace James Whale, wireless operator,
Sgt Kenneth William Smith, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Shot down by the German Flak.

Crash of a Vickers 417 Wellington III in Kiel: 6 killed

Date & Time: Mar 29, 1942 at 0024 LT
Type of aircraft:
Vickers 417 Wellington III
Operator:
Registration:
X3462
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
City
Schedule:
Feltwell - Feltwell
Location:
Kiel
Schleswig-Holstein
Country:
Germany
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Feltwell in the evening of March 28 on an operation to Lübeck. Passing over Kiel, it was shot down by the German Flak and crashed at Johannesstrasse 9. All six crew members were killed.
Crew:
Sgt Maurice Perrott Bell, pilot,
Sgt Franklyn Bertram Cran, pilot,
Sgt Claude Joseph Harris, navigator,
Sgt Ronald Gilliam Allen, wireless operator,
Sgt Thomas Richard Cross, air gunner,
Sgt James William Hinton, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Shot down by the German Flak.

Crash of an Armstrong Whitworth AW.38 Whitley V at RAF Leeming: 5 killed

Date & Time: Mar 13, 1942 at 2325 LT
Type of aircraft:
Armstrong Whitworth AW.38 Whitley
Operator:
Registration:
Z6975
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
City
Schedule:
Leeming - Leeming
MSN:
2257
YOM:
1941
Location:
Leeming AFB
North Yorkshire
Country:
United Kingdom
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Leeming at 1816LT on an operation to Boulogne. While returning to base in the late evening, it stalled on final approach and crashed onto a house. Four crew members were killed while the wireless operator was seriously injured. He later died from injuries sustained. There were no casualties on the ground.
Crew:
F/Sgt John Lyndon Moore, pilot,
Sgt James Ernest Church, copilot,
Sgt Kenneth Clarence Edward Corke, observer,
F/Sgt Richard James Lewis, wireless operator,
Sgt Neil Shaw Smith, air gunner.
Probable cause:
It is believed that icing conditions acting on the airframe may have given wrong airspeed readings and the pilot was unaware that the airplane was about to stall. Ice formations on the windscreen were also to blame which limited the pilot's visibility.

Crash of a Dornier DO.217E-1 in Soest: 10 killed

Date & Time: Mar 6, 1942 at 2118 LT
Type of aircraft:
Dornier DO.217
Operator:
Registration:
U5+CN
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Training
Survivors:
No
Site:
City
Schedule:
Soester
MSN:
5030
Location:
Soest
Utrecht
Country:
Netherlands
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
10
Circumstances:
The airplane departed Soesterberg AFB on a local training exercise. While cruising at night, it went out of control and crashed into several houses located in Soest, about 6 km north of the airbase. The airplane and three houses were destroyed. All four crew members as well as six people on the ground were killed.
Crew:
Uffz H. Terjung, pilot,
Ogfr F. Meixner, observer,
Gfr H. Borrmann, radio operator,
Ogfr A. Feldmann, air gunner.

Crash of a Bristol 142 Blenheim IV in Birmingham: 3 killed

Date & Time: Feb 20, 1942 at 1030 LT
Type of aircraft:
Bristol 142 Blenheim
Operator:
Registration:
Z5899
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Training
Survivors:
No
Site:
City
Schedule:
Upwood - Upwood
Location:
Birmingham
West Midlands
Country:
United Kingdom
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
The crew departed RAF Upwood on a low level training exercise, between 500 and 600 feet. Approaching the city of Birmingham in poor visibility, the airplane collided with the cable of a barrage balloon. Upon impact, the right wing was severed and the airplane entered a dive before crashing in Bearwood, in the suburb of Birmingham. All three crew members were killed.
Crew:
Sgt William Thomas Kyle, pilot,
Sgt Louis Stanhope De Lisser, observer,
Sgt Ernest Scott, wireless operator and air gunner.
Probable cause:
Collision with the cable of a barrage balloon.

Crash of a Vickers 416 Wellington IC in Leytonstone: 11 killed

Date & Time: Feb 10, 1942
Type of aircraft:
Vickers 416 Wellington IC
Operator:
Registration:
X9905
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Training
Survivors:
No
Site:
City
Schedule:
Steeple Morden - Steeple Morden
Location:
Leytonstone
London Metropolis
Country:
United Kingdom
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
11
Circumstances:
The crew departed RAF Steeple Morden on a training operation on behalf of the 11th OTU. En route, he encountered poor weather conditions and the airplane crashed into Harrow Green School at Leytonstone. All six crew members as well as five people on the ground were killed.
Crew:
Sgt John Sharrock Taylor, pilot,
Sgt William Mance, pilot,
F/Sgt Harold Ernest Jowett, observer,
Sgt Arthur Wilfred Ford, wireless operator,
Sgt Allen Charles Elliott Rogers, wireless operator,
Sgt Arthur James Foote, air gunner.
Those killed on the ground were:
Henry Arthur Edwards,
Joseph G. Smith,
James Edward Gorham,
Walter G. Black,
Albert Edward Stanlon.
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