Isle of Man

The twin engine aircraft left RAF Hooton Park at 1600LT bound for RAF Jurby with a crew of three and two civilian passengers, a carpenter and an inspector in charge to repair several aircraft parked at RAF Jurby Airfield. While approaching the Isle of Man, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with low clouds and patches of fog. To avoid icing, the captain reduced his altitude to 700 feet when the aircraft hit the slope of a hill located near Laxey, in the east part of the island. While the wireless operator was seriously injured, all four other occupants were killed.
Crew (5th ANS):
F/Sgt Wladyslaw H. Beller, pilot, †
Sgt Benjamin Bernard Kommerman, †
W/O Raymond Charles Jones.
Passengers:
Mr John Williams, †
Mr Paul Fachire. †

The aircraft was on its way from RAF Ridgewell to Belfast-Nutts Corner Airport with a crew of five and 26 US soldiers on a 3-day leave. While cruising at an altitude of 2,000 feet, the aircraft hit the slope of Mt North Barrule located 2 miles south of Ramsey. The wreckage was found meters from the summit and all 31 occupants were killed.
Crew:
Cpt Charles Earl Ackerman,
Cpl Earl G. Ammerman,
Cpl Edward G. Bailey,
Pvt Andrew R. Barbour,
1st Lt John P. Fedak,
Cpl Thomas P. Flaherty,
T/Sgt William E. Geist,
M/Sgt Edward Z. Gelman,
S/Sgt Ralph L. Gibbs,
T/Sgt Joseph L. Gray,
Cpl Herbert C. Gupton Jr.,
T/Sgt Wesley M. Hagen,
Sgt Irwin R. Hargraves,
1st Lt Wayne W. Hart,
1st Lt James M. Hinkle,
F/O Edwin A. Hutcheson Jr.,
Sgt Michael J. Kakos Jr.,
T/Sgt David H. Lindon,
S/Sgt Wayne K. Manes,
Sgt Jose M. Martinez,
S/Sgt Alfred M. Mata,
1st Lt Martin M. Matyas,
Cpl Leslie H. Maxwell Jr.,
Tec Walter A. McCullough,
1st Lt Lawrence E. McGhehey,
Tec Andrew Piter Jr.,
Pfc Angelo Quagliariello,
Cpl Merle L. Ramsowr,
T/Sgt Joseph W. Sullivan.

The aircraft was on a night navigation exercise from RAF Wigtown in southern Scotland, the aircraft's route was to be from Wigtown to Eggerness Point, Whithorn, Ballyquinton Point, Bardsey Light, Chicken Rock, Port Saint Mary, Ballyquinton Point and return to Wigtown. The first two points were within ten miles of Wigtown Airfield. Ballyquinton Point stands at the mouth of Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland, Bardsey Light is on Bardsey Island off the Lleyn Peninsular. Chicken Rock is off the southern tip of the Isle of Man. The aircraft had reached the Isle of Man and the crew decided to return directly to Wigtown and set course for there. The court of inquiry concluded that while near Ronaldsway the pilot had climbed from his briefed altitude of 2000ft to 3000ft in order to avoid high ground on the direct route back to Wigtown. This change in altitude took the aircraft into icing conditions, this would have caused ice build up on the aircraft. The presiding officer suggested that when icing was experienced the pilot most likely turned back towards Ronaldsway, to avoid the high ground, while descending out of cloud at the same time. The aircraft was flying south east at the time of the crash and had possibly descended too quickly. The aircraft flew into the north western end of Cronk ny Arrey Laa while in a steep climb, possibly attempting to avoid the hill.
Crew (1st AFU):
F/Sgt Hugh Eugene McDonald, pilot,
F/O Charles Alfred Bardwell, navigator,
P/O John Darlington, air bomber,
F/O Percy Henry Hoyle, wireless operator,
F/Sgt John David Pratt, wireless operator.
Source:
http://www.peakdistrictaircrashes.co.uk/pages/isleofman/iomax177.htm

The crew was performing a night training exercise from the RAF Wigtown. En route, the twin engine aircraft hit a hill located in North Barrule, near Corrany. The navigator survived while all four other crew members were killed. The only survivor died a day later at the Douglas Hospital.
Crew (11th AGS):
F/S Archibald Mckenzie, pilot,
Sgt Cyril Silcox, navigator,
Sgt William Grove Spencer,
F/S John William Morton, wireless operator and air gunner,
Sgt Edward Brown, wireless operator and air gunner.

The crew was completing a night training mission when the twin engine aircraft struck the slope of Mt Slieau Freoaghane located in the center of the Isle of Man. The aircraft was destroyed and all four occupants were killed.
Crew (1st OTU):
Sgt R. E. Wells, pilot,
Sgt Sidney Alfred Gardner, observer,
Sgt Clarence William Kelner, wireless operator and air gunner,
F/Sgt Joseph Theodore Gilbert, wireless operator and air gunner.

The crew was engaged in a navigation exercise on behalf of the 3rd Observation School. maritime patrol flight on behalf of the. The airplane crashed in unknown circumstances in a pasture located southeast of Port Erin. All five crew members were killed.
Crew:
Sgt Donald MacDonald, pilot,
Sgt Frederick Douglas Payne, observer,
Sgt Albert Jones Jenkins, observer,
F/Sgt William James Coales, wireless operator,
Sgt James Albert Frederick Langham, wireless operator.

The crew was completing a training exercise out from RAF Jurby. While flying south of Peel, the airplane collided with a second RAF Blenheim registered K7084 and carrying a crew of three. Both airplanes crashed in a prairie south of Peel and all five crew members were killed.
Crew:
Lac Francis Patrick Skelly, pilot,
Lac Albert Ernest Snelson, observer.

The crew was completing a training exercise out from RAF Jurby. While flying south of Peel, the airplane collided with a second RAF Blenheim registered Z6191 and carrying a crew of two. Both airplanes crashed in a prairie south of Peel and all five crew members were killed.
Crew:
F/Sgt Bertram Frederick Kilian, pilot,
Lac Alan Samuel Mitchell, observer,
Cpl Zbigniew Pawlowski.

The airplane departed RAF Squires Gate on a training exercise. While cruising in low visibility, it impacted a cliff located near the bay of Port Erin. All five crew members were killed.
Crew (3rd SGR):
F/Sgt Leonard Charles Storey, pilot,
Sgt Bernardus Maria,
P/O Leonard Dobson,
AC2 William James Sydney J. Heap, wireless operator,
P/O John Albert Williams, wireless operator.

The airplane departed RAF Silloth on a navigation training exercise. Prior to the mission, the crew was instructed to remain in areas free of fog and low cloud, however the aircraft ended up in low cloud. People living in the villages to the east of North Barrule heard the aircraft fly over head and then the sound of the aircraft crashing. The airplane crashed in a prairie and was destroyed by a post crash fire. All five crew members were killed.
Crew (1st OTU):
Sgt John Bruton Healey, pilot,
Sgt Joseph Anthony Moore, pilot,
Sgt Reginald Joseph Clarke, observer,
Sgt John Ker Noble Kerbey, wireless operator,
Sgt Norman Eric Eggleton, air gunner.