Gwynedd

Approximately 20 minutes after takeoff from a private airstrip in Cheshire the pilot reported pitch control problems and stated his intention to divert to Caernarfon Airport. Approximately 5 minutes later, the aircraft struck Runway 25 at Caernarfon Airport, with landing gear and flaps retracted, at high speed, and with no noticeable flare manoeuvre. The aircraft was destroyed. The elevator trim was found in a significantly nose-down position, and whilst the reason for this could not be determined, it is likely it would have caused the pilot considerable difficulty in maintaining control of the aircraft. The extensive fire damage to the wreckage and the limited recorded information made it difficult to determine the cause of this accident with a high level of confidence. A possible scenario is a trim runaway, and both the CAA and the EASA are taking safety action to promote awareness for trim runaways as a result of this accident.

The crew was completing a local training flight at RAF Llanbedr. After landing, the airplane swung and veered off runway. While contacting a soil field, the undercarriage were torn off and the airplane came to rest with its left wing partially sheared off. While both crew members were uninjured, the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

En route, the pilot encountered an unexpected situation and decided to attempt an emergency landing. The aircraft crash landed in a field located in Pentreuchaf and came to rest in flames. All eight occupants escaped uninjured while the aircraft was destroyed by fire.

The crew was flying back from Belfast-Aldergrove to RAF Llandow, carrying spare parts. En route, the weather conditions deteriorated with low clouds and fog. In such conditions, the crew lost his orientation and was unable to fix his position when the airplane hit the slope of Mt Snowdon. The wreckage was found few hours later and all three crew members have been killed.
Crew:
M/Plt Julian Maleńczuk,
F/Sgt J. Tracey,
F/Sgt W. Elliott.

The crew left RAF Scampton in the evening of March 14 on a liaison flight to RAF Valley in Anglesey. While approaching Anglesey from the east by night and in poor weather conditions, the aircraft hit the slope of the Mt Carnedd Llywelyn (1,064 meters high) located in the Carneddau Mountain Range, about 23,5 miles southeast of RAF Valley. The wreckage was found in the early morning and all six crew members were killed.
Crew (230th OCU):
S/L John T. Shore, pilot,
F/Lt Cyril A. Lindsey, navigator,
Eng Ronald A. Forsdyke, Flight Engineer,
Sig Harold Henry Charman, radio operator,
Gnr Godfrey L. Cundy, air gunner,
Gnr Robert H. Wood, air Gunner.

The twin engine aircraft was carrying three passengers and a pilot from Blackpool and crashed in unknown circumstances in an open field located in Broom Hall, about three miles northeast of Pwllheli. The airplane was damaged beyond repair and all four occupants were injured.

On final approach to RAF Valley, the four engine aircraft was too low and hit a 3 meters high sand dune located 140 meters short of runway threshold. On impact, the left main gear was sheared off. The aircraft lost height and hit the runway surface and crashed. All five crew members were slightly injured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

While performing a training exercise from RAF Bishops Court and cruising at an altitude of 8,000 feet, the twin engine aircraft went out of control and dove into the ground. During the descent, the aircraft disintegrated in the air and eventually crashed in a prairie located in Bala. All four crew members were killed. There was no fire.
Crew (7th AFU):
F/Sgt Benjamin Curtis Winser, pilot,
P/O K. F. Usher,
P/O J. A. Taylor,
Sgt R. K. Baylor.

The crew left Paris-Le Bourget Airport in the morning with mail bags and various goods. While flying over Wales, the crew was contacted by ground and instructed to divert to RAF Valley due to the deterioration of the weather conditions. After he changed his heading, the crew encountered marginal weather and shortly later, the twin engine aircraft hit the slope of a rocky mountain and was destroyed. First rescuers arrived on site ten days later and all four crew members were killed.

The crew was performing a night training exercise from the RAF Llandwrog (Caernarfon). En route, while flying at an altitude of 6,000 feet in poor visibility, the crew encountered turbulence and obtained them permission to descend when the twin engine aircraft hit the north slope of Mt Moel Hebog located southwest of Beddgelert. A crew member was injured while all four other occupants were killed.
Crew (9th OAFU):
F/O Ray Alexander Dawson, pilot, †
P/O John Edgar Gunning, navigator, †
Sgt John Frederick Potts, wireless operator and air gunner, †
Sgt Harry Howard, wireless operator,
P/O Donald Archibald McFadyen, air bomber. †