Short S.25 Sunderland

Operator:

Registration:

DD851

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Invergordon - Invergordon

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew was engaged in an antisubmarine patrol flight off the British coast on behalf of the fourth Operational Training Unit. Shortly after takeoff from RAF Invergordon, while climbing, the engine number three failed. Few seconds later, it caught fire and fell off, causing severe vibrations. The crew lost control of the airplane that crashed in a huge explosion on a railway road located 3 km northeast of the Invergordon Station. All 11 occupants were killed.
Crew (4th OTU):
F/Lt John Alfred Johnson, pilot,
F/O Garth Borland Johnson, pilot,
F/Sgt James Edward Porret, flight engineer,
Sgt Francis William George Cosgrave, flight engineer,
P/O Charles Marland Kendall, navigator,
W/O Clare Kinton, wireless operator,
W/O Fredrick John Peters, wireless operator,
F/L William Fedoruk, wireless operator,
F/O John Hodgson Shand, wireless operator,
Sgt Donald Charles Beattie, air gunner,
Sgt Milton Lynn Hill, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Failure of a connecting rod on the engine n°3, caused the engine to catch fire and to detach.

Crash of a Short S.25 Sunderland III off Saint Annes Head

Date & Time: Nov 25, 1942 at 1530 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

DV972

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Training

Survivors:

Site:

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The seaplane was engaged in a bombing practice mission. While dropping a depth charge into a suspected minefield off Trevose Head, Cornwall, the force of the explosion caused multiple damage to the starboard float, aileron and elevator as well a several holes in the hull and wings. In such conditions, the crew decided to ditch the airplane some 60 km off Saint Annes Head. All nine crew members found refuse in dinghies and the airplane sank five minutes after landing.

Probable cause:

Emergency landing in sea after being damaged by debris following a bombing practice flight.

Crash of a Short S.25 Sunderland II off RAF Mount Batten: 5 killed

Date & Time: Nov 13, 1942 at 2100 LT

Type of aircraft:

Landing (descent or approach)

Operator:

Registration:

W6054

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Gibraltar - Mount Batten

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The seaplane was returning to RAF Mount Batten from Gibraltar, carrying 10 crew members and five passengers. It approached the flare path near RAF Mount Batten but overshot in the heavy fog and had to climb and circle to starboard before attempting another approach. The airplane continued to starboard and as it made a second approach in almost zero visibility suddenly crashed into the sea approximately 3 km from the breakwater lighthouse. The aircraft hit the water with the starboard wing down, turn on its back and broke in two. All five passengers were killed and the 10 crew members were rescued 90 minutes later.
Crew:
F/Lt Wynton P. Thorpe, pilot,
P/O R. P. Gray, pilot,
F/O F. J. Lees, pilot,
P/O William S. Moore, navigator,
Cpl D. E. Bennington, fitter,
Cpl D. L. Graham, rigger,
Sgt R. B. Wilkinson, wireless operator,
Sgt S. J. Smith, wireless operator,
LAC P. Stanton, armourer,
Sgt D. G. Keating, air gunner.
Passengers :
Brig W. Vogel,
Cpt G. W. Wadham,
Cpt Frederic Thornton Peters,
Cdr R. R. Devlin,
Sgt Ryall Edward Cordrey, air gunner.

Crash of a Short S.25 Sunderland off Abu Qir: 3 killed

Date & Time: Sep 30, 1942 at 0620 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

T9050

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Abu Qir - Abu Qir

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The seaplane departed the Abu Qir seaplane base at 0545LT on a maritime patrol flight over the Mediterranean Sea. About 35 minutes into the flight, the engine n°1 failed. The captain decided to stall the aircraft that broke its back while hitting the water surface. Three crew members were killed while nine others were rescued. The aircraft sank and was lost.
Crew (230th Squadron):
F/O R. J. Murphy, pilot,
P/O R. C. Scott, pilot,
F/O T. W. Sanderson, pilot,
P/O A. H. Matthews, navigator,
F/Sgt J. Harkins, wireless operator,
Sgt Kenneth Charles Carlsson, wireless operator, †
Sgt James Adam, wireless operator, †
Sgt J. Groleau, air gunner,
Sgt Gordon Alexander Lindsay, air gunner, †
Sgt D. Hall, flight engineer,
LAC D. McLean, fitter,
LAC N. Kelly, rigger.
Source by Alan Storr:
http://static.awm.gov.au/images/collection/pdf/RC09125_007--1-.pdf

Probable cause:

The aircraft was forced to return from patrol owing to failure of the port outer engine. There was no indication from any member of the crew including the fitter that any other engine appeared to be giving trouble. When the Captain thought the port engine was failing he should have immediately checked his engine instrument readings. Although he approach appears to have been normal, the Captain did in fact make an error as he did not allow for the facts that there was a flat calm or that he was making an approach off a flare path. Finally the pilot made the fatal mistake of attempting to look at the water. Such an act especially on a glassy sea is nearly always disastrous. The accident appears to have been brought about by the fact that the pilot attempted to land when a landing was unnecessary, and he made an error in his landing in that he appears to have used insufficient engine to flatten his approach. He also attempted to carry out a landing on a glassy sea at night by looking at the water. The Group Commander in his remarks stated ; “ I consider this accident was primarily due to the fact that there had been a fatal accident in the Squadron a few days previously due to an engine catching fire in the air and the resulting smoke filled the cockpit, making it impossible for the pilot to make a safe landing. In this case, the pilot after flying for 35 minutes on thee engines, states that he suddenly noticed a bright glow and small burst of flame on another engine and decided to land immediately, in so doing he stalled the aircraft which broke its back on hitting the water. I consider the pilot, FO Murphy, made a wrong decision in deciding to land and was guilty of an error of judgement in making the actual landing. AVM Slatter 201 Group” .

Crash of a Short S.25 Sunderland I off Abukir: 8 killed

Date & Time: Sep 7, 1942 at 0200 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

W3927

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Abukir - Abukir

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The four engine seaplane departed the bay of Abukir (Abu Qir) on a night maritime patrol flight. Shortly after takeoff from the bay, while in initial climb, the engine number one caught fire. The captain attempted to return for an emergency landing but due to smoke spreading in the cockpit, he lost control of the airplane that crashed into the sea few hundred metres offshore. Eight crew members were killed while six others were injured.
Crew:
F/Lt A. F. Howell, pilot, †
F/O S. R. H. Dunfield, pilot,
P/O A. G. G. Richmond, pilot,
Cpl F. Milne, flight engineer, †
F/Lt R. F. Crockett, observer, †
F/Sgt R. D. Adamson, wireless operator and air gunner, †
Sgt B. W. Jenkins, wireless operator and air gunner, †
Sgt J. McSherry, wireless operator and air gunner, †
P/O R. J. Lunn, wireless operator and air gunner, †
Sgt A. M. Goldsmith, wireless operator and air gunner,
Ac1 W. Thomas, wireless operator and air gunner,
Sgt G. F. A. Whitehead, air gunner,
Lac K. Barrow, air gunner, †
Lac Cowles, instructor.

Probable cause:

Engine failure after takeoff.

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

Date & Time: Sep 1, 1942 at 2045 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

T9113

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Mount Batten - Mount Batten

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The seaplane departed RAF Mount Batten at 1513LT on a maritime patrol flight over the Bay of Biscay, off the French coast. At 2015LT, the crew reported that he was attacked by two German JU.88. About 30 minutes later, the Sunderland crashed into the sea and was lost without trace.
Crew:
Sgt Norman Jack Alecock,
Sgt Donald Maurice Bowd,
F/Sgt Roy Victor Chinnery,
F/O Louis Gordon Emrys-Jones,
Sgt Ernest Richard Eva,
Sgt Cyril Ernest Hayward,
F/O Robert Henry Holloway Hosband,
F/Sgt Samuel King,
F/O Donald Ian Stewart,
F/O Oscar Lovelock Wennholm,
Sgt Joseph Ingleby White.

Probable cause:

Shot down by two German fighters.

Crash of a Short S.25 Sunderland near Braemore: 14 killed

Date & Time: Aug 25, 1942 at 1342 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

W4026

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Oban – Invergordon – Keflavik

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The seaplane departed Oban to Keflavik with an intermediate stop at RAF Invergordon, carrying 11 crew members and three passengers, among them Prince George, Duke of Kent, who was flying to Iceland on an official visit. Few minutes after takeoff from RAF Invergordon, while cruising in poor visibility due to bad weather conditions, the seaplane hit the Eagle's Rock hill located near Breamore, about 55 km northwest of Inverness. The air gunner was seriously injured while all 14 other occupants were killed.
Crew (228th Squadron):
F/Lt Frank McKenzie Goyen, pilot, †
W/Cdr Thomas Lawton Moseley, copilot, †
F/O Sydney Wood Smith, copilot, †
P/O George Richard Saunders, navigator, †
F/Sgt William Royston Jones, flight engineer, †
Sgt Leonard Sweett, flight engineer and fitter, †
F/Sgt Charles Norman Lewis, airframe fitter, †
F/Sgt Edward James Hewerdine, wireless operator, †
Sgt Edward Francis Blacklock, wireless operator, †
Sgt Arthur Rowland Catt, wireless operator, †
Sgt Andrew Simpson William Jack, air gunner.
Passengers:
Air Commodore George Edward Alexander Windsor, HRH Prince George, The Duke of Kent, †
Lt John Crowther, private secretary, †
P/O C. V. Michael Strutt, †
Lac John Walter Hales. †

Probable cause:

The aircraft was equipped with a new gyro-compass few days prior to the accident and the crew was not familiar with it. According to the Board of investigations, it appears that the accident occurred as a result of navigational error. The crew failed to make sufficient allowance for a strong on-shore wind and allowed the aircraft to drift over high ground before it gained sufficient altitude to clear the hilly terrain. According to the Hansard Report of October 7th 1942, blame was apportioned to the captain of the aircraft, "Who changed flight plan for reasons unknown and descended through cloud without making sure he was over water, and crashed." Poor visibility due to bad weather conditions was considered as a contributory factor.

Crash of a Short S.25 Sunderland off Gibraltar: 11 killed

Date & Time: Aug 22, 1942 at 0235 LT

Type of aircraft:

Landing (descent or approach)

Operator:

Registration:

W4029

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Gibraltar - Gibraltar

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew was returning to base at Gibraltar following a convoy mission. During a night approach, the seaplane hit the water surface, exploded and disintegrated some 1,000 metres offshore. A crew member was seriously injured while 11 other occupants were killed. Two bodies were found on 3rd and 9th of September only.
Crew (202nd Squadron):
P/O Colin Arthur Rimmington, pilot, †
Sgt Frederick d'Arcy Scott, pilot, †
F7Sgt James Michael Corcoran, pilot, †
Sgt Ernest Frederick Chaplain, flight engineer, †
P/O Kenneth Gordon Gray, observer,
Sgt George Form, wireless operator and air gunner, †
Sgt Cecil John Barrington, wireless operator and air gunner, †
Sgt John Simpson Hay, wireless operator and air gunner, †
Sgt Alan Morgan, wireless operator and air gunner, †
Sgt Cecil James Lee, wireless operator and air gunner, †
Sgt Harold Wallis, air gunner, †
Sgt Keith Adams. †

Crash of a Short S.25 Sunderland I off Sierra Leone: 4 killed

Date & Time: Aug 17, 1942

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

L2158

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Site: