Sale

Crashed in unknown circumstances in Sale while performing a training mission. Four crew members were injured while the pilot F/Sgt R. S. Hayward was killed.

The aircraft took off at 1944LT to carry out practice DR9. This practice was a night flight from Base-Flinders-Currie-Hogan Group-Base. The aircraft was on wireless silence and failed to return. The maximum endurance of the aircraft was 7 hours. The aircraft failed to return and all searches have proved negative.
Crew:
P/O John James Bowman, pilot,
P/O Alan Joseph Malone, navigator,
P/O Harry Robert Alfred Guymer, wireless operator and air gunner,
P/O Alexander Frederick McDonald, wireless operator and air gunner,
P/O John Alexander Buchanan, air gunner.
Source: http://www.adf-gallery.com.au/

The crew was performing a training sortie from Sale Airport. En route, while cruising at an altitude of 2,000 feet, the twin engine aircraft entered a right turn when control was lost. The aircraft went into a spin and crashed into the sea 5 miles northeast of Seaspray. The wreckage was found some 400 meters off shore and all three crew members were killed.
Crew (3rd BGS):
F/Sgt Harry Alleyn Francis Dickinson,
LAC Vivian Arthur Westcott,
LAC Maurice White.

The crew left Bairnsdale Airfield in the afternoon with two others RAAF Lockheed Hudson on a reconnaissance mission. At 1614LT, ground instructed all crew to return to the airbase due to the deterioration of the weather conditions. The crew of A16-39 followed another route for undetermined reason. Both other Hudson landed without further incident while A16-39 crashed 500 yards from a private house located in Longpoint, near Sale. All four crew members were killed.
Crew (7th Squadron):
S/L James W. McGilvray, pilot,
Sgt M. J. Gawith, observer,
Sgt F. R. Walton, wireless operator and air gunner,
Sgt E. W. Bayley, wireless operator and air gunner.