North Yorkshire

Three student pilots and one instructor were completing a training sortie consisting of touch and goes. For unknown reason, the pilot in command failed to complete the flare properly, causing the aircraft to hit the runway surface. The aircraft bounced and the instructor decided to make a go around. At that time, the aircraft stalled and hit again the runway, swerved and came to rest in flames. All four crew members were uninjured while the aircraft was written off.

The crew was completing a training sortie in RAF Dishforth. Upon landing, while decelerating, the engine number two caught fire. The captain applied full brakes and stopped the aircraft. All five crew members were able to leave the cabin before the aircraft was destroyed by fire.

The crew was completing a local training sortie. On approach to RAF Dishforth with the engine number three voluntarily out of service, the crew realized that he was misaligned with the runway and decided to make a go around. The aircraft gained altitude, flew over the airbase and continued to the north when, shortly later, he went out of control and crashed in a field located 5 miles north of the airbase. The captain was seriously injured while all three other occupants were killed.
Crew (1332 HTCU):
W/O Sydney Albert Loosley, pilot,
F/Sgt F. J. Porritt, navigator, †
W/O A. Gallagher, flight engineer, †
Sgt M. H. Hewlett, wireless operator. †

On 26th July 1946 110 (City of York) ATC Squadron were holding their annual summer camp at the Central Gunnery School (CGS) at Leconfield. As part of their camp the Cadets were being allowed to be taken as passengers on training flights the CGS were undertaking. There is a suggestion that more than one Wellington was being used for this but if this was so then the take-off times were staggered and their flights did not interrupt or engage with each other. The Wellington concerned in this incident had suffered an engine malfunction prior to take-off and the two cadets already down to have a flight on this aircraft were allocated to a different aircraft to have their trip. The faulty aircraft was soon repaired and two further cadets would be allowed to go up in this original aircraft for what become the ill-fated flight. The ill-fated flight finally took off with a pilot and two cadets on board at around 1400LT, they flew northwards and towards the North Yorkshire Moors. The pilot of the Wellington carried out a Bomber Affiliation training exercise with other aircraft, the Wellington was being subjected to a number of dummy attacks by two Spitfires. It was during one of these attacks and twenty five minutes into the flight that tragedy struck at 1420LT; one of the Spitfires was making a head-on attack on the Wellington when the pilot of the Spitfire misjudged the distance between the two aircraft. The two aircraft collided head on more or less directly over the village of Appleton-le-Moors. The Wellington partly broke up in the air, with parts being scattered across the main street in Appleton le Moors and on houses in the village. Both aircraft, including the main section of this Wellington came down in flames on and near the village football field. There would be no survivors. At the inquest to their deaths, the Coroner, Mr R K Smith gave a verdict of "death by misadventure".
Crew:
W/O Henryk Szwedowski, pilot.
Passengers:
Cadet William Anthony Lain,
Cadet Robert Hall.
Source:
http://www.yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk/aircraft/planes/46-50/bj884.html

At 1535LT on 24th July 1946 this aircraft took off from Leconfield airfield for its crew to carry out a fighter affiliation exercise with a Spitfire (Spitfire TD236, of "F" Flight piloted by S/Ldr Leonard A Wood). The aircraft flew in a northerly direction, met up with the Spitfire over Driffield and then, owing to low cloud, the exercises were carried out at 10,000 feet over the Scarborough area. On board the Wellington was a pilot, a gunnery instructor and three trainee air gunners. During the exercise the Wellington was practicing taking evasive action when attacked by the fighter, it was thought that the pilot of the Wellington was making such a turn downwards, believed to have been the last of the exercise, but immediately after the last attack the Wellington went into a near vertical dive from between 6,000 and 7,000 feet from which it did not recover. At 1645LT the aircraft crashed into the grounds of Wykeham Abbey and while not catching fire it disintegrated on impact creating a large crater. All five on board stood no chance, they were killed instantly and the body of one of the crew was never found. The list or airmen below shows their trades as CWGC give. The resulting crash investigation reported that the aircraft had been reported as being nose-heavy in the weeks leading up to the crash but it was checked but was passed as serviceable on the day of this crash. The investigation listed a number of previous incidents when the aircraft had been inspected. It had been used in the prototype bouncing bomb trials and had its bomb doors removed for this but was later converted back to a "normal" Wellington and on 1st December 1943 repairs were completed at Vickers factory, Weybridge. On 17th July 1946 it was test flown and rear doors found locked up. A day later on 18th July 1946 it was test flown and the elevator trim for level flight was found incorrectly set, the cables were adjusted for correct movement. On 23rd July 1946 it was flown by F/Lt Meikle, who reported the aircraft nose heavy and the port engine was running slow. Extra ballast was added and the port engine revs were adjusted. On 24th July 1946 it was flown by W/O Schwedoski, who reported aircraft was satisfactory (he would be killed soon after in a crash at Appleton le Moors just a few days after this incident at Wykeham) but later that day the fatal crash at Wykeham occurred.
Crew:
W/O Roland Harrison, pilot,
F/Lt John Christopher Haldon, air gunner,
W/O Frederick Charles Stiff, air gunner,
F/Sgt Peter Ingram, air gunner,
W/O John Forest Armstrong, wireless operator and engineer.
Source:
http://www.yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk/aircraft/planes/ryedale/bj895.html

Shortly after takeoff, while in initial climb, the crew informed ground that a fire erupted on board and elected to return for an emergency landing. During a last turn to the left, the aircraft went out of control, lost height and crashed in a huge explosion in a field located 2,5 miles southwest of the airfield. All seven crew members were killed.
Crew (1665 HCU):
S/L Kenneth Stammers, pilot,
W/O D. R. Roberts,
F/O W. I. Harvey,
F/Sgt S. Fox,
LAC J. C. Simpson,
LAC G. Pritchard,
LAC H. Sharling

The crew were undertaking a cross country training flight when, three hours into the flight the pilot noticed the gauges on his panel showed the starboard engine had lost oil pressure. The pilot feathered the engine believing it was failing. He then attempted a hurried forced landing at RAF East Moor at 1345LT but touched down too far along the runway and as the aircraft ran off the end of the runway, the aircraft's undercarriage was raised to stop the aircraft.
Crew (10th OTU):
F/O Geoffrey Wright Burt, pilot 4.
Source:
http://www.yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk/aircraft/planes/ryedale/nc725.html

During the takeoff roll, the crew heard a loud bang but continued the procedure. After rotation, the undercarriage were raised and the captain decided to return to RAF Ricall for a safe landing. As he was unable to lower the gear, he decided to perform a belly landing. On touchdown, the aircraft skidded for several yards before coming to rest. There were no casualties but the aircraft was considered as damaged beyond repair.

The aircraft left RAF Wickenby in the evening of July 13 on a night training exercise with 11 other similar aircraft. While cruising at an assigned altitude of 2,000 feet, the aircraft flew into a thunderstorm when it went out of control, dove into the ground and crashed in an open field located near the village of Burdale, some 10 miles northwest of RAF Driffield. The rear gunner Sgt J. Critchley survived while six other occupants were killed.
Crew (626th Squadron):
F/Sgt S. P. Bell, pilot,
F/Sgt L. W. Garfield, navigator,
F/Sgt H. J. Plastow, wireless operator,
Sgt P. J. Allsebrook, air bomber,
Sgt S. Welsh, flight engineer,
Sgt R. C. T. Goldthorpe, air gunner,
Sgt J. Critchley, air gunner.

The crew was engaged in a navigation exercise over England. En route, the captain leaves the controls to the Flight Engineer, a quite common practice by the RAF in case the captain would be injured. In such case, another crew member would be able to continue the flight. En route, at least one engine failed. Before the captain could re-gain control, the aircraft dove into the ground and broke in mid-air before crashing in a pasture. Six crew members were killed while the captain was seriously injured.
Crew:
F/O Stanley Herbert Hayter, pilot,
Sgt Leon Asher Bassman, flight engineer, †
F/O Thomas Yestyn Thomas, navigator, †
F/O Robert Ranui Bradshaw, bomb aimer, †
Sgt Arthur Joseph Pearce, wireless operator and air gunner, †
Sgt John Patrick Sheridan, air gunner, †
Sgt James McVey, air gunner. †