Ground fire of a De Havilland DH.89A Dragon Rapide in Lympne

Date & Time: Jun 30, 1950
Operator:
Registration:
G-AKME
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Lympne - Lympne
MSN:
6767
YOM:
1948
Location:
Region:
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
During the engine start up, a fire erupted. All occupants were able to vacate the cabin before the aircraft would be destroyed by fire. There were no injuries.

Crash of a Boeing B-29-65-BW Superfortress in RAF Lakenheath

Date & Time: Jun 16, 1950
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
44-69861
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
10693
YOM:
1944
Region:
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Crashed on landing. No casualties.

Crash of a Vickers 619 Wellington X in RAF Swinderby: 2 killed

Date & Time: Jun 14, 1950
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
PG417
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Swinderby - Swinderby
Region:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Circumstances:
The crew was engaged in a local training sortie in RAF Swinderby. On final approach by night, the pilot in command encountered difficulties due to poor visibility caused by bad weather conditions. He then decided to make a go around and followed a downwind circuit for a second approach when the aircraft, which was too low, hit a hill and crashed. Two crew members were killed while the third occupant was seriously injured.

Crash of an Airspeed AS.65 Consul off Guernsey: 4 killed

Date & Time: May 8, 1950
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
G-AHJX
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Croydon – Saint Peter
MSN:
541
YOM:
1946
Region:
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
3
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
On final approach to Saint Peter-La Villiaze Airport, the twin engine aircraft went out of control and crashed into The Channel. All four occupants were killed.

Crash of a Vickers 619 Wellington X in Horam: 4 killed

Date & Time: Apr 5, 1950 at 2200 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
NC615
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Middleton Saint George - Middleton Saint George
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
The aircraft left RAF Middleton Saint George at 1845LT on a night navigation exercice. At 2137LT, the crew informed ground that the mission was uneventful until this time. Twenty-three minutes later, the aircraft went into a dive. At an altitude of 1,000 feet, it partially disintegrated and eventually crashed in a pasture. All four crew members were killed.
Crew:
S. J. Murdoch, pilot,
F/Lt W. A. Ryde, navigator,
F/Lt H. Seiman, navigator,
Sig A. E. Bazen.
Probable cause:
The aircraft broke in flight due to exceptional aerodynamic and other stresses.

Crash of a Vickers 619 Wellington X in RAF Hullavington: 4 killed

Date & Time: Mar 29, 1950
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
LN819
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Hullavington - Hullavington
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
The crew was engaged in a local training sortie in RAF Hullavington. Shortly after takeoff, while in initial climb by night, the pilot in command informed ground that an engine failed and completed a turn to join the circuit when control was lost. The aircraft dove into the ground and crashed in a field. All four crew members were killed.
Probable cause:
Engine failure.

Crash of an Avro 652 Anson C.19 in Aylesbury: 6 killed

Date & Time: Mar 23, 1950
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
TX187
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Halton - Halton
Region:
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Circumstances:
The crew was engaged in a local training sortie in RAF Halton. While approaching the airbase from the northwest with one engine inoperative, the aircraft stalled from a height of 50 feet and crashed in a near vertical attitude in a field located one mile northwest of Aylesbury. All six occupants were killed.
W/Cdr Richard James Millet Bangay, pilot,
Cpl Cyril Alan Parfett,
AC1 G. A. Richardson,
AC1 J. Montgomery,
AC1 M. G. Prince,
AC2 J. Hendry.

Crash of a Bristol 170 Freighter 21 in Cowbridge: 4 killed

Date & Time: Mar 21, 1950
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
G-AHJJ
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Bristol - Bristol
MSN:
12742
YOM:
1946
Region:
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
3
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
The aircraft was an MK.2 version and was recently converted to a 21 version. This flight was the second test one for the certification program. About 34 minutes after it left Bristol-Filton Airport, the airplane went out of control, dove into the ground and crashed in a field located in Cowbridge, south of Wales. All four occupants (three Bristol's engineers and one pilot) were killed.
Probable cause:
The accident was caused by a structural failure of the fuselage stern frame to which the fin was attached and must be attributed to the application on the fin and rudder of a load greater than the design ultimate load. Calculations suggested that the cause of this overloading was excessive rudder movement at a speed greater than 120 knots.

Crash of an Avro 694 Lincoln B.2 on Mt Carnedd Llywelyn: 6 killed

Date & Time: Mar 15, 1950 at 0255 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
RF511
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Scampton - Valley
Region:
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Circumstances:
The crew left RAF Scampton in the evening of March 14 on a liaison flight to RAF Valley in Anglesey. While approaching Anglesey from the east by night and in poor weather conditions, the aircraft hit the slope of the Mt Carnedd Llywelyn (1,064 meters high) located in the Carneddau Mountain Range, about 23,5 miles southeast of RAF Valley. The wreckage was found in the early morning and all six crew members were killed.
Crew (230th OCU):
S/L John T. Shore, pilot,
F/Lt Cyril A. Lindsey, navigator,
Eng Ronald A. Forsdyke, Flight Engineer,
Sig Harold Henry Charman, radio operator,
Gnr Godfrey L. Cundy, air gunner,
Gnr Robert H. Wood, air Gunner.
Probable cause:
The subsequent Court of Inquiry determined that the likely cause was the crew had turned onto a southeasterly course over Anglesey instead of the reciprocal out to sea. According to some sources, the pilot misheard the instruction to "turn 180 degrees" as "turn 80 degrees" .

Crash of an Avro 694 Lincoln B.2 in RAF Hemswell: 5 killed

Date & Time: Mar 15, 1950 at 0130 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
RF472
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Hemswell - Hemswell
Region:
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
The crew was engaged in a night training sortie in RAF Hemswell, Lincolnshire. On final approach, the pilot reported that the Blind Approach Beam System (BABS) was out of service. Despite a poor visibility, he continued the approach and overshot the runway went control was lost. The aircraft overturned and crashed in flames in a field. Five crew members were killed while the sixth occupant was seriously injured.
Crew (100th Squadron):
M. A. C. Brown, pilot, †
W. P. Edgar, flight engineer, †
T. W. Brayshaw, navigator, †
B.T. Newland, navigator,
A. W. Rolfe, signaller, †
G. Sherratt, air gunner. †