Crash of a Vickers 648 Varsity T.1 at RAF Oakington

Date & Time: Aug 21, 1969
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
WJ895
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Oakington - Oakington
MSN:
619
YOM:
1952
Region:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
While completing training manoeuvres in the vicinity of RAF Oakington, the twin engine airplane collided with a private Cessna 150 registered G-ATKF. The pilot of the Cessna was able to perform an emergency landing as well as the crew of the Varsity who landed at RAF Oakington. Nevertheless, the aircraft was later considered as damaged beyond repair.

Crash of a Vickers 648 Varsity T.1 at RAF Oakington: 6 killed

Date & Time: Jul 7, 1960
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
WJ914
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Wyton - Oakington
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
1
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Circumstances:
The Viking was performing a flight from RAF Wyton with five crew members and a high ranking officer on board. On approach to RAF Oakington, at an altitude of 1,500 feet, the airplane collided with a RAF De Havilland DH.100 Vampire T.11 registered XD549 that just took off from RAF Oakington for a local training mission with two pilots on board. After the collision, both aircraft went out of control and crashed in a field located 4 miles southwest of the airbase. All eight occupants in both aircraft were killed. It is believed that both crew were responsible as they failed to pay sufficient attention to potential traffic.

Crash of an Avro 685 York C.1 in RAF Oakington: 5 killed

Date & Time: Jul 1, 1947
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
MW224
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Oakington - Oakington
MSN:
MW224
YOM:
1946
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
The crew was engaged in a local training sortie at RAF Oakington and was due to complete an approach with the engine number one voluntarily off, followed by a go around procedure. While flying over the airfield at an altitude of some 150 feet, the aircraft stalled and crashed in a huge explosion. All five crew members were killed.
Crew (242nd Squadron):
F/Lt Douglas S. Cameron,
F/Lt Basil C. Hanson,
F/Lt John D. Hughes,
2nd Cl Raymond B. Hollis,
F/O George H. Salt.
Probable cause:
It was determined that, when the crew attempted to go around, he failed to increase power on all three remaining engines number two, three and four. In the mean time, the crew prematurely retracted the trailing edge flaps. The combination of a premature flap retraction and an insufficient engine power caused the aircraft to stall. Due to an insufficient distance between the aircraft and the ground, a recovery was not possible.

Crash of an Avro 685 York C.1 in RAF Oakington

Date & Time: Jun 11, 1947
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
MW247
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Oakington - Oakington
MSN:
MW247
YOM:
1946
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
While on a training sortie in RAF Oakington, the aircraft belly landed and slid for several yards before coming to rest. All four crew members were unhurt while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
Probable cause:
The crew failed to follow the approach and landing check-list, so he forgot to lower the undercarriage, causing the aircraft to land on its belly.

Crash of an Avro 685 York I in RAF Oakington

Date & Time: Jan 16, 1947
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
MW228
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
MW228
YOM:
1946
Region:
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
On touchdown, an undercarriage collapse. The aircraft skidded for several yards before coming to rest. There were no injuries but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair. It appears that, for undetermined reason, the undercarriage were partially deployed and not locked upon landing.

Crash of an Avro 683 Lancaster III in Maizy: 7 killed

Date & Time: Apr 22, 1944 at 2332 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
ND592
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Oakington - Oakington
Location:
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
7
Circumstances:
The aircraft left RAF Oakington at 2124LT to attack the railway network at Laon, France. After dropping the bombs by night, the aircraft was shot down by a German fighter and crashed in a field located in Maizy. All seven crew members were killed. Claim by Uffz Konrad Beyer 1/NJG4 at an altitude of 2,800 meters.
Crew (7th Squadron):
P/O Percy Aslett, pilot,
F/S James Wilfred Bott, flight engineer,
P/O Hugh Boyd Cooper, navigator,
F/S Thomas Horton, air bomber,
F/S Laurence Alfred Scott, wireless operator and air gunner,
Sgt Francis William Ingham, air gunner,
P/O Leon Francis George Noakes, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Short S.29 Stirling in Hamont: 2 killed

Date & Time: Jun 22, 1943 at 0145 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
EF366
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Oakington - Oakington
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Circumstances:
The aircraft left RAF Oakington at 0007LT on a bombing mission to Krefeld, Germany. While overflying Belgium by night at an altitude of 11,000 feet, the aircraft was intercepted amd shot down by two German fighters. The Stirling lost altitude and the captain attempted to make an emergency landing. On final, the aircraft stalled, hit the ground, went out of control and came to rest in flames on the bank of a canal. The captain and the navigator were killed while all five other occupants were taken PoW.
Crew (7th Squadron):
Bruce Meiklejohn, pilot, †
Charles Redwood, navigator, †
Bill Cole, flight engineer,
Frank Hugo, bomb aimer,
Leslie Ellingham, radio operator,
Jack Kilfoyle, air gunner,
Edgar Brown, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Shot down by German fighters.

Crash of a Short S.29 Stirling in Akkerwoude: 6 killed

Date & Time: May 1, 1943 at 0252 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
R9263
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Oakington - Oakington
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Circumstances:
The bomber left RAF Oakington after midnight to attack the city of Bocholt in Germany. While flying over The Netherlands, the aircraft was shot down by the pilot of a German fighter and crashed in a field located in Akkerwoude. Six crew members were killed and one survived.
Crew (7th Squadron):
P/O E. C. Hallding, pilot, †
P/O Geoffrey Wragge, navigator, †
Sgt Arhur Eward Emms, air gunner, †
W/O Loois Nutik, wireless operator and air gunner, †
F/Sgt H. Sobel, air gunner, †
Sgt Norman Arthur Peachey, air bomber, †
Sgt F. A. Painter.
Probable cause:
Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Short S.29 Stirling I in Gorinchem

Date & Time: Aug 16, 1942 at 0658 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
N3705
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Oakington - Oakington
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The crew left RAF Oakington at 0125LT on a bombing mission to The Netherlands. By night, the crew encountered undefined problems and the captain attempted to make an emergency landing. The aircraft eventually crash landed in a field located near Gorinchem. While the aircraft was damaged beyond repair, all seven crew members were unhurt and taken POW.
Crew (7th Squadron):
Sgt S. C. Orrell,
F/O F. Thompson,
Sgt A. Buckley,
Sgt J. A. B. Bond,
Sgt C. A. Bowers,
Sgt A. R. Bolman,
Sgt T. R. Gough.

Crash of a Short S.29 Stirling near Leek: 8 killed

Date & Time: Jul 13, 1942
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
N6075
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Oakington - Oakington
Region:
Crew on board:
8
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
8
Circumstances:
The aircraft left RAF Oakington on a cross country exercise. While cruising over the region of Biddulph, the captain reduced his altitude to show the house of Mr. Dolphin to the other members of the crew. Shortly later, the aircraft went through a cloudy area and hit the hill of Merrytown Low, near Leek. All eight crew members were killed.
Crew:
Sgt Roderick Urquhart Morrison, pilot,
F/Sgt John Richard Griffin, observer,
F/Sgt James Frederick Hirst, wireless operator and air gunner,
F/Sgt Thorstein Enevold Helgesen, wireless operator and air gunner,
F/Sgt Leo Joseph Regimbal, air gunner,
F/Sgt John Ellis Williams, flight engineer,
F/Sgt William Anthony George Atkins, flight engineer,
F/Sgt Edgar Dolphin.