Country
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North Yorkshire

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax II in Selby: 15 killed

Date & Time: May 10, 1944
Operator:
Registration:
JB789
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Region:
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
15
Circumstances:
On final approach to the RAF Burn, the bomber aircraft was too low. While overflying the city of Selby, the aircraft hit the top of the St James Church and crashed in flames in a residential area along the Portholme Drive. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and post crash fire and several houses were destroyed as well. All seven crew members were killed and eight people on ground as well.

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

Date & Time: Apr 21, 1944
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
BK347
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Region:
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Circumstances:
The crew was engaged in a training exercise on behalf of the 30th OTU. En route, the aircraft crashed in unknown circumstances in Whernside, near Ingleton. A young sergeant was seriously injured while all six other occupants were killed.
Crew:
F/O Ernest Malcolm Barrett, pilot, †
F/L Edward Alderson, copilot, †
Sgt Philip Edwin Lomas, navigator, †
F/O Robert Gerald Campbell Brodie, bombardier, †
Sgt Ronald Charles Holmwood, wireless operator, †
Sgt Norman Skirrow, wireless operator, air gunner, †
Sgt Joseph Marks, wireless operator, air gunner.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax II in Osmotherley: 6 killed

Date & Time: Jan 18, 1944
Operator:
Registration:
LW334
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Region:
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Circumstances:
Crew was performing a training exercise from RAF Topcliffe. In unknown circumstances, aircraft hit the slope of a mountain and was destroyed by impact forces. All six occupants were killed.
Crew (all Canadians citizens):
F/O Joseph P. Lavallee, pilot,
Sgt. Richard G. Kimball, navigator,
F/O Wilfred L. Boisvert, flight engineer,
F/O Walter Phillips, bomb aimer,
W/O George E. Giff, W/Operator,
Sgt. Guy H. Hivon, gunner.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax I in Colsterdale: 8 killed

Date & Time: Nov 24, 1943 at 0100 LT
Operator:
Registration:
JB926
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Riccall - Riccall
Region:
Crew on board:
8
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
8
Circumstances:
The crew left RAF Riccall on the evening of November 23 for a night training exercise with five other similar aircraft. Shortly after midnight, crew informed ground about severe icing and elected to return when the aircraft went out of control and crashed on a mountain slope locate near Colsterdale. All eight crew members were killed.
Crew (1658th HCU):
Sgt R. E. Bacon, pilot,
F/O H. McCarthy, navigator,
Sgt J. Titterton, flight engineer,
Sgt G. H. Manley, flight engineer,
Sgt B. F. Taylor, wireless operator,
Sgt J. J. MacGilliveray, bomb aimer,
Sgt A. Winton , air gunner,
Sgt D. E. Philips, air gunner.
Source: http://laituk.org/Halifax JB926.htm
Probable cause:
It was found that JB926 had in fact suffered severe structural failure in the air: the port outer wing had broken away, both outer engines had been torn off, as had both the port and starboard elevators. This together with the fact that the port wing tip was badly shattered and showed distinct scoring marks led again to conjecture that their had been some form of collision, either with another aircraft or a balloon cable. Later investigation found that the detached wing tip had almost certainly struck the fuselage of its own aircraft during the break up and the scoring marks had been made by JB926's own aerial wires.

Crash of a Vickers 456 Warwick I in Sleights Moor: 6 killed

Date & Time: Nov 13, 1943
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
BV336
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Thornaby - Thornaby
Region:
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Circumstances:
The crew left RAF Thornaby at 1640LT to perform an ASR mission off the Dutch coast. As no crew was assisted or evacuated on the North Sea, the crew decided to return to RAF Thornaby and while approaching the British coast, he encountered poor weather conditions with thunderstorm activity. While a second Warwick was able to continue its route, BV336 was maybe struck by lightning or suffered turbulence, went out of control and dove into the ground before crashing in a field. All six crew members were killed.
Crew (280th Squadron):
S/L Edgar Andrew Good, pilot,
F/O Willis Wylie Coons, navigator,
F/O Dennis Maurice Stewart, wireless operator and air gunner,
F/Sgt William Vernon Crockett, wireless operator and air gunner,
F/Sgt Douglas Allan Payton, wireless operator and air gunner,
W/O Henry George Richardson, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Loss of control caused by lightning and turbulence.

Crash of an Avro 652 Anson IA in Tadcaster: 5 killed

Date & Time: May 17, 1943 at 1125 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
EG269
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Jurby - Jurby
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
The crew was performing a training sortie from RAF Jurby, Isle of Man. En route, the twin engine hit telegraph wires and flew into the ground some one mile north of Tadcaster. All five crewmen were killed.
Crew (5th AOS):
P/O Harry Rhodes, pilot,
Sgt George Ervin Bleier, observer and navigator,
LAC Peter Geoffrey Wilson, observer and navigator,
Sgt Percy Annetts, wireless operator and air gunner,
Sgt Gerald Henry Charles Watkins, wireless operator and air gunner.

Crash of a Vickers 417 Wellington III in Black Intake Moor: 5 killed

Date & Time: Feb 12, 1943 at 2300 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
BJ778
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Croft - Croft
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
The crew of this Wellington christened 'A for Apple' took off from RAF Croft at 1726LT for what is believed to have been a mine laying operational flight. Aircraft from various squadrons were mine laying the waters around The Frisians and Helgoland on this night. Other modern accounts quote Le Havre as being a land target for bombs but this is believed to not be correct. The accident record card for this incident; the Form Am1180, makes no mention of what the target was hence the confusion. The crew dropped their cargo and headed for home but were hit by flak. Before they could land at base the aircraft flew across the North Yorkshire Moors, the Moors were covered in a thick band of cloud at the time and the crew became uncertain of their position on their return to Yorkshire; they had probably flown off course by a few degrees. They descended to try and work out their location but struck high ground east of Chop Gate on Black Intake Moor at 2300LT and all on the aircraft lost their lives in the crash which completely destroyed the aircraft.
Crew (427th Squadron):
Sgt Oscar Philip Edwin Ronald J. Adlam, pilot,
F/O Bryan Dunn, navigator,
Sgt William Charles Ivor Jelley, wireless operator and air gunner,
Sgt Arnold Charles Clifford, bombardier,
Sgt William Ball, air gunner.
Source:
http://www.yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk/aircraft/planes/43/bj778.html

Crash of an Avro 683 Lancaster III in Hawnby Hill: 7 killed

Date & Time: Jan 30, 1943
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
ED481
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Waddington - Waddington
Region:
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
7
Circumstances:
The crew left RAF Waddington on a bombing mission to Hamburg. Following an uneventful mission, the crew was returning to his base when his was instructed by ground to divert to RAF Leeming. Later, the aircraft run out of fuel and crashed at Hawnby Hill, near Northallerton. All seven crew members were killed.
Crew:
W/O Frank Goheen Nelson, pilot,
Sgt Allan McKeen, flight engineer,
Sgt George Francis Done, navigator,
Sgt Alan Arthur Frederick Williams, navigator,
Sgt Henry Summers Jones, wireless operator and air gunner,
Sgt Arthur William Butcher, air gunner,
Sgt Walter George Murton, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Fuel exhaustion.

Crash of a Consolidated LB-30 Liberator II in RAF Marston Moor: 10 killed

Date & Time: Aug 5, 1942 at 1715 LT
Operator:
Registration:
AL588
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Marston Moor - Marston Moor
MSN:
086
Region:
Crew on board:
10
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
10
Circumstances:
The crew was engaged in an air gunnery training exercise with a RAF Spitfire. Shortly after take off from RAF Marston Moor, while climbing, the captain made a sharp turn when he lost control of the aircraft that dove into the ground and crashed in a huge explosion in a field located few hundred yards from the airbase. All ten crew members were killed.
Crew (1653 HCU):
F/Sgt Bryn Williams, pilot,
Sgt Alan Francis Bell, pilot,
P/O Thomas Henry Jones, air gunner,
Sgt Wilfred Anthony Kup, observer,
Sgt Edward Thorley, wireless operator and air gunner,
Sgt Sidney Sampson, wireless operator and air gunner,
Sgt Edward Albert Smith, air gunner,
Sgt Kenneth Caselton, air gunner,
Sgt William Henry Charles Booth, air gunner.
Sgt Douglas Arnold Wood.
Probable cause:
Loss of control in initial climb caused by the failure of the tail section, maybe due to a structural problem.

Crash of an Avro 683 Lancaster I in Masham

Date & Time: Apr 22, 1942 at 0320 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
L7584
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Schedule:
Waddington - Waddington
Region:
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The crew was involved in a night training exercise from RAF Waddington. While cruising in low visibility, the pilot was unable to locate his real position when the aircraft hit a hill located near Masham. All seven crew members were injured while the aircraft was destroyed.