Date & Time:
Feb 14, 1943
Type of aircraft:
Avro 683 Lancaster
Operator:
Registration:
L7547
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Bottesford - Langar
Country:
France
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
5
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
The aircraft left RAF Bottesford at 1914LT on February 13 on a bombing mission over Milan. On the return leg to RAF Langar, while overflying France, crew noticed that all four engines' temperature was too high. Shortly later, the engine number one fired 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, †
Ft/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, †
Ft/Sgt Athol Richard Grainger, †
Sgt Henry George Bone, †
Sgt Kenneth White. †
Probable cause:
Overheating, fire and explosion of the engine number one.
