Date & Time:
Jul 12, 1942 at 1630 LT
Type of aircraft:
Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax II
Operator:
Registration:
W1097
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Training
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Topcliffe - Topcliffe
Country:
United Kingdom
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
8
Crew fatalities:
0
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Topcliffe on a training exercise with a crew of eight on board. While cruising over the Irish Sea, the crew encountered technical problems with the fuel gauges. The captain decided to return to base but as he later realized he could not make it, he decided to divert to the nearest airbase which was RAF Aberporth, a small airfield unfitted for such big airplane. After touchdown, the bomber was unable to stop within the remaining distance, overran, lost its undercarriage, hit a hedge and came to rest in a field. All eight crew members were rescued, among them one was slightly injured. The airplane was damaged beyond repair.
Crew:
F/Sgt Henry Maximilian Slezak, pilot,
F/Sgt Arthur Douglas Swansburg, pilot,
P/O Norman Leslie Laing, flight engineer,
F/Sgt Gerald Robert Titus, observer,
Sgt John Walter Macaulay, wireless operator,
Sgt Joseph Daniel Creede, air gunner,
Sgt Kenneth Story Watson, air gunner,
F/Sgt Thomas Austin Withers, air gunner.
Crew:
F/Sgt Henry Maximilian Slezak, pilot,
F/Sgt Arthur Douglas Swansburg, pilot,
P/O Norman Leslie Laing, flight engineer,
F/Sgt Gerald Robert Titus, observer,
Sgt John Walter Macaulay, wireless operator,
Sgt Joseph Daniel Creede, air gunner,
Sgt Kenneth Story Watson, air gunner,
F/Sgt Thomas Austin Withers, air gunner.
Probable cause:
The accident was attributed to engine failure, combined with a misjudged landing.
