Crash of an Avro 683 Lancaster I in Saint-Brisson: 5 killed
Date & Time:
Feb 15, 1943 at 0200 LT
Operator:
Registration:
L7547
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Bottesford - Langar
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Bottesford at 1914LT on February 14 on an operation to Milan. The following night, while flying over France on a return flight to RAF Langar, the crew noticed that all four engines' temperature was too high. Shortly later, the engine n°1 caught fire and exploded. The crew decided to abandon the aircraft but only two crew bailed out and survived while five other occupants were killed when the aircraft went out of control and crashed in a field located in Saint Brisson, west of Saulieu.
Crew (207th Squadron):
F/Sgt John H. F. Whyte, pilot,
F/Sgt Stanley H. Eyre, flight engineer,
F/Sgt Thomas William Strong, observer, †
Sgt Frank Ivan Tillen, navigator, †
F/Sgt Athol Richard Grainger, †
Sgt Henry George Bone, †
Sgt Kenneth White. †
Crew (207th Squadron):
F/Sgt John H. F. Whyte, pilot,
F/Sgt Stanley H. Eyre, flight engineer,
F/Sgt Thomas William Strong, observer, †
Sgt Frank Ivan Tillen, navigator, †
F/Sgt Athol Richard Grainger, †
Sgt Henry George Bone, †
Sgt Kenneth White. †
Probable cause:
Overheating, fire and explosion of the engine n°1 in flight.
