Crash of a Blackburn B-26 Botha I at RAF West Freugh: 5 killed

Date & Time: Nov 18, 1941 at 1010 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
L6195
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
West Freugh - West Freugh
MSN:
7864/42
YOM:
1940
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
Shortly after take off from RAF West Freugh, while climbing, the aircraft stalled, dove into the ground and crashed in a wooded area located near the airport. All five crew members were killed.
Crew (4th AOS):
Sgt Walter Francis Godfrey Hobby, pilot,
LAC Robert Charles Sharp, observer,
AC1 William Charles Ellis, wireless operator and air gunner,
AC2 George William King, wireless operator and air gunner,
LAC Ciaran Anzlony Clarke, air gunner.
Probable cause:
It appears that the aircraft stalled during initial climb following a loss of power on the right engine. This was caused by a false move on part of the captain who throttled back the right power lever while trying to remove his hand to select the undercarriage up. This caused the right engine to lose power and the aircraft to stall.

Crash of a Blackburn B-26 Botha I into the North Sea: 3 killed

Date & Time: Oct 27, 1941
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
L6264
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
MSN:
7868/11
YOM:
1941
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
The crew was engaged in a training exercise on behalf of the 10th Air Observers School. The airplane was lost without trace and is believed to have crashed somewhere in the North Sea.
Crew:
P/O Mojmir Novak,
P/O Alois Sedlacek,
Sgt L. Mirconzuk.

Crash of a Blackburn B-26 Botha I off RAF Valley: 3 killed

Date & Time: Aug 28, 1941 at 1130 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
L6417
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Valley – West Freugh
Region:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Valley at 1130LT on a flight to RAF West Freugh, carrying three crew members. During the takeoff run, the pilot-in-command aborted the procedure but was unable to stop the airplane within the available distance. The Botha overran and crashed into the sea about 500 metres off Rhosneigr. All three crew members were killed. It is also reported that 11 rescuers died while they were trying to save the crew.
Crew:
Sgt Kazimierz Stefan Rosiewicz,
LAC Thomas Alexander Dixon,
LAC Freferick Charles Glockler.

Crash of a Blackburn B-26 Botha I in Blackpool: 17 killed

Date & Time: Aug 27, 1941 at 1505 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
L6509
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Squires Gate - Squires Gate
Region:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
1
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
17
Circumstances:
On the afternoon of Wednesday 27 August 1941 four 256 Squadron Defiants took off from Squires Gate to practice formation flying. Their flight commander (whose name is unrecorded) was recalled back to the aerodrome, and so he handed his flight over to his No. 2, a Sergeant Leonard (RAF). Just after 3.00 p.m. the three Defiants were flying over the sea, a little West of Blackpool Tower, at an altitude of about 2,000 feet and on a North Easterly heading. Some 500 feet below them, flying in a North Westerly direction, was one of 3 SGR's Bothas, L6509. Eyewitnesses on the ground saw the Defiants break formation and, one by one, dive towards the Botha as if making a mock attack and then level out afterwards. Two of the fighters completed the manoeuvre successfully, but as the third Defiant began its dive the Botha suddenly banked to the right and the pilot of the diving fighter, Defiant N1745, JT-P, struck the Botha amidships, cutting it in two and itself losing a wing. The now tail-less Botha stalled and immediately went into a spiral dive, its descent being watched by hundreds-possibly thousands-of shocked civilians and servicemen on Blackpool's seafront. Seconds later it crashed through the roof of the entrance hall of the Central Station, showering aviation fuel over the platforms below, which erupted into a massive conflagration. A huge cloud of thick black smoke quickly rose to a height of several hundred feet over the center of Blackpool. All three occupants of the Botha and both pilots on board the Defiant were killed. At the station, 8 people on the ground were killed while 6 others died the following days.
Botha's crew (3rd SGR):
P/O A. A. Horne, pilot,
P/O K. J. A. Sale, pilot.
Passenger:
Mr. Frank Longson.
Source & photos: http://laituk.org/Botha-Defiant.htm
Probable cause:
In-flight collision with an RAF Defiant following an error on part of the Defiant's crew.

Crash of a Blackburn B-26 Botha I off Puffin Island: 1 killed

Date & Time: May 6, 1941
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
L6265
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Squires Gate - Squires Gate
MSN:
7868/12
YOM:
1941
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Circumstances:
The airplane crashed for unknown reasons into the sea some 1,5 km north of Puffin Island. The pilot was killed and two others were rescued.
Crew:
Sgt Thomas Merrill Adlard, pilot,
F/O P. R. D. A. C. MacDonald,
Sgt S. Jones,
AC1 S. G. Sprott,
Sgt N. W. Downs.

Crash of a Blackburn B-26 Botha I off Port Saint Mary: 4 killed

Date & Time: May 2, 1941 at 1055 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
L6326
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Squires Gate - Squires Gate
MSN:
7870/23
YOM:
1941
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
The crew was engaged in a training exercise out from the RAF Squires Gate. While cruising along the Isle of Man coast, the airplane suffered an engine failure, entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed into the sea off Port St Mary. All four crew members were killed.
Crew (3rd SGR):
F/O Julien Walter Lowndes Bruxner-Randall, pilot,
P/O Vernon Bramwell Dewhurst, pilot,
P/O Philip Arthur Goode, pilot,
AC2 Frank Mitchell Philp.
Probable cause:
Engine failure in flight.

Crash of a Blackburn B-26 Botha I in Penshurst: 4 killed

Date & Time: Feb 24, 1941
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
L6262
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Millom - Detling
MSN:
7868/9
YOM:
1940
Location:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
The crew departed RAF Millom on a training flight to RAF Detling. En route, the twin engine aircraft went out of control, dove into the ground and crashed in a huge explosion. All four occupants were killed.
Crew (2nd Bombing Gunnery School):
P/O Sidnyey Guy Rodd, pilot,
Sgt Geoffrey Leo Pitman, navigator,
LAC Phillip Leslie Jackson,
AC1 Harold Davenport.

Crash of a Blackburn B-26 Botha I off Workington: 6 killed

Date & Time: Jan 7, 1941
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
L6126
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
7860/23
YOM:
1939
Region:
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Circumstances:
The airplane was on a training sortie when it crashed in unknown circumstances in the Irish Sea off Workington. A crew member was rescued while six others were killed.
Crew:
Sgt Charles Matthew Deyes, wireless operator,
Sgt Roderick Maclean Galbraith, wireless operator,
Sgt Phillip Rutherford,
Sgt William Henry Harper Johnson,
Sgt Charles Ernest Richardson,
AC1 Norman Spriggs,
F/O A M Foster.

Crash of a Blackburn B-26 Botha I off Redcar: 3 killed

Date & Time: Aug 31, 1940
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
L6165
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Thornaby - Thornaby
MSN:
7864/12
YOM:
1940
Region:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
The crew was involved in a training mission over the North Sea. While returning to his base at night, the pilot was forced to evacuate the area because of the presence of enemy aircraft. Shortly later, the twin engine aircraft crashed in unknown circumstances into the sea off Redcar. No trace of the aircraft nor the crew was found.
Crew (608th Squadron):
P/O Terence Hugh Creed, pilot,
AC1 Thomas Edward Corrigan,
AC2 George Beadnall.

Crash of a Blackburn B-26 Botha I in Ellerker: 1 killed

Date & Time: Jul 8, 1940
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
L6205
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Brough - Brough
MSN:
7866/2
YOM:
1940
Region:
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Circumstances:
The pilot Douglas Frank Charles Brecknell was performing a test flight on behalf of the Blackburn manufacturer based in Brough. The accident occurred in unknown circumstances when the airplane crashed in Ellerker, some five km northwest of Brough aerodrome. The aircraft was destroyed and the pilot was killed.