Short S.25 Sunderland

Operator:

Registration:

G-AGES

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Lagos – Lisbon – Foynes

YOM:

1942

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

By night, the crew overflew the Shannon estuary and continued to the north at an altitude of 6,000 feet. Forty-five minutes later, the captain disengaged the automatic pilot system and started the descent manually. After passing through the last cloud layer, the crew distinguished the ground but did not realized that his altitude was to low. The seaplane hit the slope of Mt Brandon with its right wing, stalled and crashed in flames southwest of Brandon village. Fifteen occupants were injured while ten others were killed, among them the captain.
Crew:
Thomas Allitt, pilot, †
John Harrop Slater, copilot,
Eric William Vincent, navigator,
Charles Harry P. Phillips, radio operator,
Frederick Thomas James Parr, radio operator,
Victor Rawlinson, flight engineer,
Ralph Bousquet Lawes, flight engineer.
Passengers:
David William Stannard, †
John Diarmuid Hartigan, †
Arthur Friedrich Rawson Lumby, †
William Sacheverell Hebden,
Lewis Milner, †
Sidney Leonard Pullinger, †
Ian Kenneth Thom, †
Harold Tristram, †
Thomas Watson Thomson,
Kenneth Joseph Devall, †
Leonard King,
Victor Francis Edward Simmons,
Oliver Frith,
Alfred Brooker Depree,
Max Albert Roth, †
Lloyd Gilbert French,
Roy Elliott Bertram,
Raymond François Larche.
Source: http://www.csn.ul.ie/~dan/war/gages.pdf

Probable cause:

Navigation for the flight west from Foynes was by compass and loop bearing on the ground radio station and there was no request from the aircraft for QTE bearings to be transmitted from the radio station. If it is assumed that the aircraft's loop bearing on the radio station was free from error, the alteration in the aircraft's track should have been immediately apparent by a change in the compass course. Alternatively, if the course remained constant the alteration in track should have been indicated by a change in the loop bearing. The departure from the required track was not discovered by the crew and the reason for this is not conclusively evident. Radio direction-finding apparatus of the type used on the aircraft is subject to error around sunset and sunrise. The presence of this error, known as “Night Effect” cannot always be detected, even by experienced radio operators. The probable final cause of the accident was “Night Effect” which affected the accuracy of the direction-finding apparatus on the aircraft. The contributory causes of the accident may be summarized as follows:
- A strong south-westerly wind which resulted in the aircraft's arriving at Shannon Airport thirty minutes before its scheduled time of arrival;
- A change in wind direction from S.W. To N.W. in the Shannon area around the actual time of arrival;
- The pilots error in technique in relying entirely on the aircraft's loop bearings for radio assistance to the exclusion of direction signals from the ground station.

Crash of a Short S.25 Sunderland III into the Lough Erne: 2 killed

Date & Time: Jun 30, 1943

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

DD857

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Training

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Enniskillen - Enniskillen

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Crashed in unknown circumstances into the Louigh Erne off Enniskillen. Nine crew members were rescued while P/O James Leslie Hodgens and Sgt Thomas Galbraith were killed.

Crash of a Short S.25 Sunderland III into the Bay of Biscay: 11 killed

Date & Time: Jun 13, 1943 at 2000 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

DV967

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Bombing

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Pembroke Dock - Pembroke Dock

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The seaplane was engaged in an attack against German U-boat when it was shot down by enemy fire and crashed into the Bay of Biscay off the French coast. All 11 crew members were killed.
Crew:
F/Lt Desmond Fairfax Hill,
F/Lt Leonard Bertrand Lee,
F/O George Lough,
F/O Alfred Keith MacDougall,
F/O Robert Jasper Agur,
W/O Vincent Murray Goldstone,
F/Sgt Robert Alexander Shaw,
Sgt Andrew Carmichael,
Sgt Dewi Madoc Davies,
Sgt James Watt Fraser,
Sgt Richard Evelyn Joseph Smith.

Probable cause:

Shot down by enemy fire.

Crash of a Short S.25 Sunderland II of Saint Kilda: 11 killed

Date & Time: Jun 5, 1943 at 1350 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

W6052

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Training

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Oban - Sullom Voe

Location:

Saint Kilda Archipelago

Hebrides Islands

Country:

United Kingdom

Region:

Europe

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane departed RAF Oban on a navigation training exercise to RAF Sullom Voe with 11 crew members on board. At 1349, the crew sent a distress call but no details was given. Shortly later, the airplane crashed in unknown circumstances into the sea some 35 km south southeast of the Saint Kilda Archipelago. All 11 crew members were killed.
Crew:
P/O Norman Frederick Lester, pilot,
Sgt John Walker Waring, copilot,
Sgt Howard Eimer Eddy, flight engineer,
Sgt Albert John William Schmok, flight engineer,
F/O Stanley Jebson, navigator,
Sgt Arne Paulsen, navigator,
Cpl Robert Spence McDonald, mechanic,
Sgt Albert Thomas James Murray, wireless operator,
Sgt James John Walker, wireless operator,
Sgt Stanley Allen, air gunner,
W/O Llewelyn Pryce Edwards, air gunner,
Sgt John Hugh Prtichard, air gunner.

Crash of a Short S.25 Sunderland III off Praa Sands: 1 killed

Date & Time: Jun 2, 1943 at 2248 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

EJ134

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Pembroke Dock - Pembroke Dock

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The aircraft was engaged in a maritime patrol flight over the Biscay Bay on a SAR mission following the recent crash of a BOAC DC-3. En route, the seaplane was attacked by eight German Junkers JU.88. Despite the situation and damages, the pilot was able to leave the combat zone and flew back to the UK. While approaching the coast of Cornwall, the captain decided to ditch the airplane few hundred yards off Praa Sands. A flight engineer was killed while all 10 other occupants escaped unhurt. The aircraft was later wrecked by tides and waves.
Crew (461th Squadron):
F/Lt Colin Braidwood Walker, pilot,
P/O Wilbur James Dowling, copilot,
P/O James Collier Amiss, copilot,
Sgt Edward Charles Ernest Miles, flight engineer, †
Sgt Phillip Kelvin Turner, flight engineer,
Sgt Louis Stanley Watson, mechanic,
P/O Kenneth Macdonald Simpson, navigator,
F/Sgt Alfred Eric Fuller, air gunner,
F/Sgt Sydney Frederick Miller, air gunner,
Sgt Albert Lane, air gunner,
F/Sgt Ray Marston Goode, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by German fighters.

Crash of a Short S.25 Sunderland II at RAF Angle Bay

Date & Time: May 29, 1943 at 2022 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

T9114

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Pembroke Dock - Pembroke Dock

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The seaplane departed Pembroke Dock on a Air Sea Rescue operation after another Sunderland crashed southwest of Scilly Island a day before. After all survivors were rescued and embarked on a French boat, the Sunderland took off back to base but hit a wave that caused a large hole in the hull. Decision was taken to divert to RAF Angle Bay. After landing, it came to rest with the port wingtip on the ground after tearing off the port float and was damaged beyond repair. All 11 crew members escaped unarmed.
Crew:
F/O George Singleton, pilot,
P/O Howe, copilot,
F/Sgt Taplin, flight engineer,
F/Sgt Hules, bomb aimer,
F/O Harry Winstanley, navigator,
Sgt H. Hall, wireless operator,
Sgt Hammond, air gunner,
F/Sgt Ronald Church, air gunner,
F/Sgt John Lewis, air gunner,
F/Sgt Stevens, air gunner,
P/O George Viner, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Damaged after hit a wave while taking off.

Crash of a Short S.25 Sunderland III off Scilly Islands: 1 killed

Date & Time: May 28, 1943

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

JM675

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Pembroke Dock - Pembroke Dock

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane was dispatched from Pembroke Dock on an Air Sea Rescue operation after an Armstrong Whitworth Whitley registered BD282 crashed in the Celtic Sea southwest of the Isles of Scilly. Attempting to land in cross wind along the heavy swell, the Sunderland was suddenly hurled into the air by an unseen cross-swell and before full control could be regained it dove into an approaching wave and crashed. The pilot was killed and the copilot was seriously injured. The rest of the crew was later evacuated safely.
Crew:
F/Lt William Stodart Espie Dods, pilot, †
F/O Raleigh De Visme Gipps, copilot,
F/O Vernon Howard Dyason,
F/O Arthur Roy Tegart,
P/O Donald Arthur Sinclair,
F/Sgt Wallace Mackie,
F/Sgt Rees,
F/Sgt Howard Sidney Webb,
Sgt Herbert Sydney Dhu,
Sgt Thomas Patrick Druhan,
Sgt Alfred Joel Taylor.

Crash of a Short S.25 Sunderland III off Clare Island: 11 killed

Date & Time: May 25, 1943 at 0405 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

DD846

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Lough Erne - Lough Erne

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Following an uneventful maritime patrol mission over the Atlantic, the aircraft and its crew were returning to RAF Lough Erne. In the early morning, while approaching the Irish coast from the west, the seaplane crashed in unknown circumstances into the sea off Clare Island, west of Wesport. All 11 crew members were killed.
Crew (422nd Squadron):
F/O Ernest F. Paige, pilot,
F/O James W. Clarke, pilot,
Sgt William G. Hopps, pilot,
W/O Wallace Roy Thompson, navigator,
Sgt James Hird, flight engineer,
Sgt Donahan A. O’Dowd, flight engineer,
Sgt John Rowe, wireless operator and air gunner,
Sgt David Purvis, wireless operator and air gunner,
Sgt Derek H. Richardson, wireless operator and air gunner,
Sgt Ronald Sherwood,wireless operator and air gunner,
W/O Robert B. Bryers, air gunner.

Crash of Short S.25 Sunderland III off Ram's Island

Date & Time: May 12, 1943

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

W6075

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Site: