Crash of an Avro 652 Anson I near Rhyl: 3 killed

Date & Time: Jan 19, 1940 at 0900 LT
Type of aircraft:
Avro 652 Anson
Operator:
Registration:
N5050
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Hooton Park - Hooton Park
Location:
Rhyl
Denbighshire
Country:
United Kingdom
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
The crew departed RAF Hooton Park at 0800LT on a convoy mission. About an hour into the flight, weather conditions worsened with heavy snow falls. The airplane crashed on the foreshore some 6 km east of Rhyl. A crew member was seriously injured while three others were killed.
Crew:
F/O John Randall Garrett, pilot,
Sgt Harold Christopher Moorby, observer, †
LAC Thomas Christopher McClure, air gunner, †
AC1 Robert Beattie, wireless operator. †

Crash of an Avro 652 Anson I near Rhyl

Date & Time: Jan 3, 1940
Type of aircraft:
Avro 652 Anson
Operator:
Registration:
N5234
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Survey / Patrol / Reconnaissance
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Hooton Park - Hooton Park
Location:
Rhyl
Denbighshire
Country:
United Kingdom
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The crew was engaged in a night patrol flight and launched the mission in poor visibility due to snow falls. Shortly after take off, while climbing, the aircraft crash landed in a field located 4 miles east of Rhyl. Due to weather conditions, rescuers took seven hours to reach the scene. All four occupants were injured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
Crew (502th Squadron):
H. C. Moorby,
R. Beattie +2.
Probable cause:
It is believed that the accident may have been caused by ice accumulation on wings and fuselage.

Crash of an Avro 504N in Rhyl

Date & Time: Aug 14, 1938
Type of aircraft:
Avro 504
Operator:
Lancelot John Rimmer
Registration:
G-ACOK
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Private
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Rhyl - Rhyl
MSN:
F2588
Location:
Rhyl
Denbighshire
Country:
United Kingdom
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
2
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The single engine airplane crashed upon landing on a beach in Rhyl. All three occupants evacuated safely and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
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